The Bronze Sword
by Zoram Selrof
Summary: Sequel to The Silver Arrow: it's been three weeks ever since the dissolution of Silver Arrow: their potential heir, Bronze Sword, doesn't seem to be that much until they forge an aliance with a powerful party and a lone "Darkloid" and thus give rise to a three-party-deal to develop a revolutionary weapon which will overwhelm the Net Saviors. Will they be bested? Rated M for lemon.
1. Prologue: Sinister deals

**The Bronze Sword**

**By Zoram Selrof**

**Prologue: Sinister Deals**

08:19 AM (Barcelona Time), Sunday December the 4th, 2006…

"… Huh? Our buddy is calling… Heh, heh, heh…"

Someone picked a cell-phone from a table and picked the call up.

"_E che passare?_" ("What's up?")

"_Capo. Già incontrare quello uomo._" ("Boss. I found that man.")

"_Bene, bene!_" ("Good, good!")

"_E dare la pasta.__" _("And I gave him the money.")

"_Buona lavoro. E decire la plaza e la data?__"_ ("Good work. And you told him the time and the place?")

"_Claro, Capo_." ("But of course, Boss.")

"_Bene. Venire a la casa e discutire la otra parte dil plan__._" ("Good. Come to the house and we'll discuss the other part of the plan.")

"_Si, Capo_." ("Roger, Boss.")

"_Non tardare, Luigiano._" ("Don't be late, Luigiano.")

"_Ciao, Capo_." ("Good – bye, Boss.")

That someone left the cell-phone on the table again.

"Heh, heh, heh… It was so easy!" They muttered in Japanese with a hint of amusement.

"Obihiro Shun – sama?" A voice called out.

Obihiro Shun turned around.

He was a boy around twelve years old and was around a meter and fifty tall more or less.

He had grayish hair along with red – irises eyes which displayed malice on them plus a smug smile on his face.

He wore a cyan top, blue jeans and white / red sneakers.

He was standing inside of a living room somewhere which was slightly lit by the fire burning on a stone fireplace.

A sofa occupied the whole length of the north wall and faced some closed balcony doors.

A table had been set in front of it and it had a black laptop along with a purple Link PET set on it.

The Link PET's holographic projector was engaged and a Navi was displaying.

Black shades hid his eyes while a sturdy ivory helmet protected his head: three levels of reddish curved stripes circled its whole diameter.

His body was mainly colored ivory although his boots and forearms were colored in a forest green color: some random black-colored diamonds were scattered across his forearms and legs.

His emblem was a simple hollow diamond set in the midst of a cross which was colored red: the inside of the diamond was colored ivory.

The Navi's right arm ended into an integrated one-barreled pump shotgun which had some thin greenish stripes running across the length of the barrel and which were glowing with a slowly increasing and fading greenish glow.

His boots were colored light brown and had two round circles set there.

"What's up, Hunter Man?" He asked him.

"I am making on progress on the front." He reported.

"Good, good! Heh, heh, heh. And even if that fails… We have the backup plan which is on the works. Luigiano, my secretary, is working on it. It was a good idea going by the _Godfather_ _cliché_." Obihiro replied while bringing a hand to his chin.

"It'll be entertaining to see _those persons_ breaking down. Maybe we could turn take advantage of it to manipulate them." Hunter Man smiled and exposed a course of action.

"I like the sound of it." Obihiro commented while having an evil grin on his face.

"And we could use it to force them to do wet jobs for us as well. We'd have two powerful pawns on our hands. What do you think of it, Shun – sama?"

"It's a deal. Keep working on it."

"By your orders, Shun – sama."

Hunter Man returned inside of the Link PET while Obihiro stretched and walked into an adjacent kitchen: he prepared a cup of hot chocolate and brought it to the living room as he sat near the fireplace.

"The weather forecasts were not off the mark! And given my proximity to the sea then it's no wonder temperatures are around 5 Celsius degrees by now…" He muttered.

He drank some of the hot chocolate and then relaxed.

"It's been almost two months… And I still don't know anything about Ivan and Sergei. They must be hiding very well and hoping everyone will just go and forget about them. I'm still a bit unsure about going with the backup plan, but… Can't be helped! I gotta prove my little Bronze Sword organization is serious. I won't be as big as Silver Arrow but size doesn't matter here: what matters is what we can achieve." He sighed and sounded somewhat unsure.

He typed something into the PC and read a list of names.

"All of the freelancers have been caught. But it matters not: they were all expendable, anyway. And I'm not gonna do the same stupid mistake they all did: no "Dark Chips". Not like I need 'em, anyway…"

He switched to another screen and brought up another website with a list of online _manga_ to be read.

"Let's see… Yeah! The newest chapter is out. There was a two week break, but this one was worth the wait. Heh, heh, heh. I may be a genius who could even be in middle school, I know… But I still have a normal boy's _hobbies_… Hmmm…" He looked interested.

He leant back on the sofa and began to read the pages while writing notes on a sheet of paper: he was finished after a little while and he finished his hot chocolate.

"Let's see tomorrow's weather forecast… Snow is expected on the northern areas and spots over the 300 meters height quote… Well… No big deal. I should remember tomorrow to order the deliveries… Heh, heh, heh, heh… The Net Police won't be able to find me here: Ivan and Sergei were way too smart for you guys… And we still have a pending score to settle, Hikari Netto… I'll bring upon a nightmare which not even Gauss Magnets could come up with back when he worked for Gospel… Heh, heh, heh… I'm a genius!" He muttered before he began to smile.

"… So?"

"Unfortunately, sir… There has been no progress. But we believe to have narrowed down the cause of the failures…"

"Oh? Tell me."

A person was kneeling inside of a circular chamber which had no ceiling: one could see purplish skies with clouds moving across them accompanied by some faint reddish glows which seemed to come from outside and below the room.

The room's floor was made of crimson square tiles arranged like a mosaic across it and the walls had some fluorescent patterns drawn into them.

The only other object in the room was a black onyx throne connected to ground level by three stone steps facing forward.

"Yes, Yamikawa – sama."

A guy was sitting on the throne: he appealed as being around sixteen years old and over a meter and sixty in height.

His hair was colored silver and had a messy style to it while his eyes' irises were a mix of red and golden.

He wore a simple black tunic with a shooting star emblem colored purple placed on the exact center of the tunic's torso: he sported black leather boots and black leather gloves.

A purple cape hung from the back of his shoulders and reached all the way to the feet.

"Expose the reasons." He commanded to the other guy.

The other guy could be slightly shorter in height and younger: he did look around thirteen or fourteen years old and being just over a meter in fifty in height.

His helmet had the _Kanji_ "Yami no Oukoku" or "Dark Realm" drawn into them using blood red color and set vertically on the forehead.

Some silver-colored hair could be seen coming from behind the helmet and his eyes' irises were red and golden: they currently displayed calm and obedience.

He had three parallel thin vertical blood red lines traveling down his body from the neck and shoulders to the hips.

His bodysuit design had a jet black color to it while the forearms and boots were colored in a purplish color: some blood red-colored DNA-like patterns were set on them and travelled across their length.

His emblem was a silver-colored bow arrow aiming NE surrounded by a bronze edge and set against a black background.

"Our world's environment is not suited for proper stabilization and repairs of the data. We tried using a "safe zone", but we had no result either. I believe it will only be able to be repaired within the outside world. We'd be in need of a powerful programmer."

"Hum… I see."

"Does Emperor S – sama know anyone capable of such a feat?"

"I know one. I was planning on approaching him one of these days and make sure he became useful to us. And his turn to shine has arrived. He's gotta be bored to death, anyway." The teen named Yamikawa replied while looking amused.

"Then… Am I to approach that person?"

"Yeah… _Sidier_. He might mistake you for someone who I used as base to design you, but tell him you work for me. The announcement will set his mind straight. He won't refuse: he knows to fear me." Yamikawa made a sinister smile.

"By thou orders, my Lord."

"You won't deny that our little "expedition" was worth it, eh?" Yamikawa seemed to switch topics.

"Yes, sir. I now have more confidence on my abilities." Sidier confirmed while saluting.

"Good! A warrior must know how to use all of his skill to ensure his absolute victory. Anyway… There's no rush, really. Go and rest for a while before approaching him. I'll give you his address."

"Roger."

Sidier bowed and stood up before he walked down towards the door and stepped through it: Yamikawa stepped down from the throne and stretched before making a smug smile.

"Obihiro Shun… Your turn has finally come. You will make a good show under my guidance. And you will soon realize how far my hand can reach to… I'm eager to know what the heck that broken data which we found a week ago is… It's gotta be totally worth it!"

"… Yo! Sidier. What's up?"

"Ah. Kuroumi – dono. Good morning, sir."

"Why don't you go and call me "Solo"? The guys at the Fortress Temple do it anyway."

"Ah… If you prefer to… Solo… Eh… It sounds rude."

"Not at all."

The guy named Solo appealed as being around the same age as Yamikawa was.

He had white unkempt hair and a pattern which looked a trail of lighting painted on his right cheek, running down from below the eye: his irises were also red.

He wore two strange pendants reminiscent of an ancient culture which were attached to his ears.

He wore a simple black tunic with a purple drawing set over the chest: that drawing consisted on two "S" letters with a slight inclined segment originating at the end of it.

Both were colored purple and set parallel to each other: a small vertical rectangle was placed in the space between the start of each symbol.

"Eh… But… Hum… I mean…" Sidier seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Jeez. I'm not your boss! I'm just your neighbor!" Kuroumi Solo rolled his eyes.

"Tee, heh, heh. Mr. Mannerisms strikes back." A girl's voice rang out.

A girl walked up towards them while coming out of a wooden door labeled "Kagehi Somari".

She wore the same type of tunic with the lowered hood and had a purple musical note drawn on it.

She had reddish-colored hair and her eyes' irises were red but her face didn't have any signs unlike Solo's.

She had a big grin on her face.

"Ah! Kagehi – dono. Good morning to thou grace."

"Jeez. Why can't you call me "Somari – chan" like Solo here or Saruba, your boss? We're all in the club!" She told him with a hint of annoyance.

Both men suddenly gulped and began to sweat as they took one step backwards upon seeing a twitch appear near Somari's right eye.

"Sidier… You screwed it up!" Solo scolded him.

"I – I am sorry!" He kneeled and bowed.

"Hmpf! That's somewhat better." Somari put up a smug smile.

"Thank you very much."

"Sidier… There was no need to do that!"

"Oi, oi! What's this scandal this early on the morning?" Yamikawa demanded as he stepped in and looked annoyed.

"Your little mouse, Saruba, is still old-fashioned. When are ya gonna fix that for good? I don't need a _Sengoku_ _samurai_." Somari told him with a hint of annoyance.

"Eh… Sidier… I thought I'd told you there was no need to kneel in front of them…" Saruba gulped and whispered to him.

Sidier had stood up and was saluting in a military manner.

"But that would create a conflict with my manners protocol, Yamikawa – sama…" He brought up.

"Man. I need to rewrite it, then! Come with me: we better fix this NOW or we're gonna get the "a – le – le" punishment." Saruba slapped his own face in defeat.

"Y-yes, sir!" He quickly saluted.

Saruba opened his room's door (set in front of Somari's) and both he and Sidier stepped in before closing it: Somari grinned and Solo gulped.

"Tee, heh, heh. See ya."

"O-okay."

Somari ran out towards the south while Solo sighed in defeat.

_What a morning!_

"Oh! By the way! Solo~!" She suddenly returned.

"What?"

"Are you gonna ride on the _Millennium Falcon_?"

"For the last friggin' time! I ain't Han Solo!"

"Tee, heh, heh. I like pestering ya~."

"Man. Luckily enough you're not a sadist."

"No. Ophiucus Queen DS isn't either but she likes playing "dominatrix" with the Gemini Spark DS twins." She giggled.

"And Dia Iceburn DS loves to sneak on guys from behind and place a lipstick mark behind their right shoulders." He groaned.

"Tee, heh, heh, heh."

"So! Wanna speculate?"

"Speculate? About _what_?" She was surprised.

"About what they'll pick for the 3rd 4th gen edition… We've had _Pikachuu_, _Crystal_ and _Emerald_. Now we've had _Diamond _and _Pearl_. I know the 3rd edition won't be out before 2008 if they follow their pattern but… What do you think? What'd tie in with _Diamond_ and _Pearl_?"

"Well… Dunno… Marble?" She tried to guess.

"It's not crazy."

"Onyx?"

"That could do too but… Wait a minute… I think that Iwark, the Stone-Type serpent-like Pokémon from Kanto has a similar name overseas to begin with… Maybe Marble would do, yeah."

"Do we need to bring out the _pantosymanos_?"

"What's that?"

"My new motto: _espantos y manos_!"

"… Huh… "Scares & hands"…?"

"Tee, heh, heh, heh."

"What's that supposed to mean? You come up with some trick to scare the guts outta someone?" He asked.

"Guess that, Mr. Basilisk."

"Mr. Basilisk… Oh come on." He groaned.

"I know! _Adamante_!"

"What? That sounds too force. It doesn't sound catchy. And take into account that Dialga and Palkia's names are derived from Diamond and Pearl… That Giratina guy I'm not sure of their name origin but…"

"That of Mr. Basilisk is 'cause that Giratina guy looks like it."

"Could be, yeah…"

"… Do you think Saruba will doggy-style Sidier?"

"What? No! Saruba wouldn't do that. I'm the one who usually is on top to begin with." Solo admitted with a sigh.

"Tee, heh, heh, heh."

"I heard that, Somari – chan!" Saruba protested from inside of the other room.

"What does "doggy-style" mean, sir?" Sidier asked.

"Need Not To Know!" He snapped.

"E-excuse me, sir."

"Huh! My bad. Somari – chan makes me get nervous. You're not to blame for anything, Sidier." Saruba sighed.

"Well then… _Enjoy. Bad bo_ys_. _I'm off to the Bog Temple."

She ran off while giggling under her breath and the guys sighed.

_As I said… What a crazy morning!_


	2. Chapter 1: Dull routine

**Chapter 1: Dull routine**

16:14 PM (Japan Time), Monday December the 5th…

"… And that's all for today. Don't forget to prepare for the end of trimester exams next week."

A teacher walked out of a classroom and it soon filled with noise: Hikari Netto, aged thirteen, yawned and leaned his chair backwards.

"Phew! Today's class sure was monotone." He commented aloud.

"Netto – kun… I thought you were taking middle school seriously!" Rock Man scolded via the desk's holographic screen.

"Hum… But ya see, Saito – niisan… One gets bored of routine. I'd almost wish for a pack of Viruses to go wild out there and bust 'em all…" Netto sleepily replied.

"Jeez." Saito rolled his eyes.

"Tee, heh, heh! Netto – san is hard to handle from time to time. Isn't that right, Saito – kun?" Roll teased Saito from behind.

Saito gulped and looked over his right shoulder to see her having a sinister smile on her face: Glyde, Ice Man and Guts Man had stepped back and were gathered on a corner of the half-empty Cyber World classroom while looking nervous.

"Huh… Roll – chan… That face… It doesn't suit you, really…" He nervously told her.

"Tee, heh, heh. Did you get surprised at me winning the annual Halloween Contest?" Roll giggled.

"Y-yeah…! You had a knack for it."

"Netto…"

"Uh! Eh… Meiru – chan. What's up?"

Sakurai Meiru had popped in front of Netto's desk while having a rather sinister smile on her face.

"Enzan – kun and ya keep on meeting once a week…" Meiru brought up while sounding slightly annoyed.

"Uh… Yeah… What's the problem? We have Net Battles, we see videos or read _manga_… He's trying to be friendlier with everyone, too…" Netto replied.

"You wouldn't happen to be telling him how to shoo Yaito – chan away every time she shows up around him?" Meiru sounded suspicious.

_Let's make it look like it's something along those lines…_

"Eh… Who knows?" He improvised.

"You do, Netto. And I'm sure a bird will end up telling me: he might know something."

"A bird…?"

"Oh. Should I say a "star – bird" instead?" Meiru teased.

"Star – bird… Wait. Where have I heard that before?" Netto frowned and brought a hand to his chin.

"Hum… Don't you mean Eboshi Shuuichi – kun? His surname has both the _tori_ and _hoshi_ _Kanji_ on it… Thus, it's read as "Eboshi"…" Hikawa Tooru stepped into the talk.

"Tee, heh, heh. Magicians know it all."

"I think you're mistaking it with Miyuki – san…" Netto looked somewhat skeptical.

"Whatever… It's already 16:15. Let's move out." Meiru shrugged.

"Okay, Mistress…" Netto rolled his eyes.

"Tee, heh, heh."

"Man. Meiru – chan is getting scarier." Hikawa whispered to Netto.

"Yeah. True." Ayanokouji Yaito whispered.

"Man…" Ooyama Dekao sighed in defeat.

16:29 PM (Japan Time)…

"… So? What's up, Meijin?"

"The usual stuff…"

Hinoken was speaking with Meijin as he dropped by the restaurant to have a talk.

"Heh. At least we caught that pyromaniac… But I feel unsatisfied. I'd like to go and settle it with Freeze Man once and for all!" Hinoken muttered with a hint of annoyance.

"Not again…" Madoi rolled her eyes.

"Hinoken! Vengeance is not our road to walk upon." Maha Jarama warned to him.

"_No_! _It's terrible_!" Count Elec suddenly ran in.

"What's up, Elec?" Hinoken asked.

"_My God!_ They cancelled the upcoming new season of _Unbelieveable Truth _because the presenter got the flu! _You idiots_! Find a temporary replacement!" He exclaimed.

"Oh! Did they?" A man sitting on one table asked.

"They did, Mr. Customer!" Count Elec exclaimed.

"Count Elec… I thought I'd introduced him to you." Dr. Wily, sitting in front of the man, told him.

"Huh! Dr. Wily – sama! Eh… This _gentleman_ was…" Count Elec gasped and then frowned.

"Dr. Regal. King Land researcher: my specialty is super energy. I'm one of the inventors." The man introduced himself.

This man looked on his late thirties or close to his forties.

He had jet black hair and some of it ran down the sides of his head in two irregular strings while the rest grew until almost the base of the neck.

His right eye was blue while his left eye had a monocle with a purple rim set over it: the monocle's rim included an arrow pointing towards the left.

His face had some traces of a beard as well.

He wore a custom-looking dress consisting of an overall bright brown wool-like jumper with a grayish/brownish neck.

A purple sweater was set beneath it: the sweater had four small squares set on a row and he also sported wool-like purple-colored pants.

A pattern formed on the jumper's neck: a thick stripe run down the jumper before it divided into two curved stripes which formed a circle and then reunited into one: this process was repeated thrice.

Two incomplete circles were set near the wrists and the wrists had a rim of the same color which formed a curved-shape piece extending into the top of the palm.

The man wore black leather-like gloves as well.

"_Oh_! A _countryman_! _Nice_!" He grinned.

"Ah. Your name was…" Elec Man asked a Navi.

"Laser Man."

Laser Man was a tall Navi almost two meters tall and his main body color was black.

He had a diamond-shaped head with a small white slit surrounded by a purple rim: a blue-colored vertical stripe crossed through it from the top and two more formed under the slit while the top of his head had a blue rectangle-like shape: each side of the head had a descending line which then branched into two and kept on running down the sides of the head.

He had two shirt-neck objects near the neck and a slightly curved stripe directly underneath the neck: another two vertical stripes were set on the sides.

Two slightly diagonal lines originated from the neck and ran until the knees.

A couple of lines shaped like ascending and descending triangles were set above and below his chest emblem.

The two main lines had two horizontal stripes set above and below the emblem connecting them: a thin and colorless vertical slit ran down the upper body through the middle of it.

Another two diagonal thin lines marked the beginning of the shoulders from which two arms originated.

They had blue stripes running down its middle section from above and below before they formed a circle around the wrist.

Two black-colored gloved hands of five fingers each came out: each finger had two thin circular stripes above and below the middle section of them.

His main body ended in a slightly circular opening from which his two legs came out: they each had two vertical parallel stripes running down until the knee: each foot only had three fingers shaped like claw fingers and the rear part of each foot had a small ramp-like shape attached to it.

There was a triangle-shaped stripe set around the base of the fingers with another blue stripe around their base.

Two slightly curved extensions formed on his back slightly beneath the head: they had a general Alphabet U letter shape and each one had blue stripe running down its perimeter: these extensions ended into square openings: the insides of them were colored purple.

His chest emblem was a series of vertical stripes of several colors which stood for the light's specters: ultraviolet was set as the leftmost and it climbed up the scale until it reached the infrared.

Overall, the Navi looked powerful and imposing.

"I'm Elec Man. It's nice to see a countryman around here." Elec Man introduced himself.

"Indeed." He replied: his voice seemed to echo inside of the head.

"Wow. He sounds scary."

"Dr. Regal is assisting us Science Labs in various projects such as the tracking and disabling of any remaining "Nebula Dimensional Converters" which may be used by criminal parties." Meijin told Hinoken.

"Oh! And by the way… Hinoken. Forget about Freeze Man already: he's now making a good task of helping others." Wily told him.

"Phew." Fire Man sighed in relief.

"Tee, heh, heh. The ghost of the past roams around Hinoken!" Colored Man giggled.

"So it may seem." Magic Man merely replied.

The door opened and Dingo stepped in while looking exhausted: he had some cuts and scratches, too.

"Dingo! What happened?" Maha asked.

"This guy tried to pick a shortcut through a forest but he forgot the bushes there have needles." Tomahawk Man rolled his eyes.

"I thought I was going north!"

"No. You were going east."

"That's why I want my tomahawk back, Maha! That compass thing only gets me lost!" Dingo protested.

"Your _stubbornness_ makes you get lost. I could've perfectly pointed out the way but you made me shut up the whole time!" Tomahawk Man sounded annoyed.

"Che."

"Heh, heh, heh, heh…" Wily chuckled.

"Dr. Wily…! That's not funny!" Dingo protested.

"I really don't see the fun on it: it's just a series of misfortunes."

"Wily – sama has some strange humor from time to time…"

"Man. This is the "Boycott Dingo Club" or what?" Dingo questioned.

"No. This is the "Pirate Club"..."

He began to laugh at his own joke while everyone sighed in defeat: Dr. Wily had some weird humor.

"Damn. I'm cursed: I just know it!"

"… Welcome to Narita International Airport. The current temperature is 8 degrees Celsius. The current time is 17:05 PM. We hope you have enjoyed travelling with us."

A plane touched down on Narita International Airport and the passengers clapped to celebrate the arrival: it reduced speed and taxied over to a finger access, where it stopped.

"Hmpf…"

A man on his thirties around a meter and eighty tall was amongst the passengers.

He had black hair, a thick black moustache and brown eyes.

He wore a gray T – shirt, black jeans and white sneakers.

He also carried a Link PET colored navy blue with a simple emblem: a "G" character colored red.

"Heh."

He climbed out of his seat, picked an attaché case on the compartment above his head and left the plane: he walked through passport control and picked a suitcase.

"Heh, heh, heh."

He put on a brown hat once he was on the main lobby: he then walked out of the airport building and spotted a taxi so he signaled for it and it halted next to him.

"Taxi! Go to the New Otami Hotel, please." He announced in English with a bit of a foreign accent.

"Roger."

The taxi moved away while the man rummaged on his pants' right pocket and took out a paper with a phone number written there.

"Hmpf."

"… Phew!"

Charlie Airstar walked inside of his apartment and sat down on the sofa, obviously exhausted.

"What… Did you have to carry a whale today? Charlie?"

Tesla Magnets laughed at her own joke while Airstar rolled his eyes.

"Laugh, Tesla! I had to carry a guy speaking about the economics in Italy with a funny Italian accent! I was wishing he shut the trap already…"

"Hah, hah! Italians never know when they have to stop talking."

"Do you need anything, Tesla, dear?"

Gauss Magnets, wearing his white apron and cap, walked in: he was rubbing his hands and looked eager.

"Please bring me some Tabasco, Father." She requested.

"Tabasco…? Huh… Fine, fine…"

Gauss left and returned a minute later with a Tabasco bottle in one round metal platter.

"Here's the Tabasco you requested, dear."

"Excellent."

Tesla opened the bottle and walked to in front of Airstar, who was glaring at the ceiling: she shook the bottle so that some drips dropped into his tongue.

"GA~H! HOT! HO~T!" He yelled as fire came out of his mouth.

He ran off at top speed towards the bathroom.

"Ho, ho, ho, ho!"

"I didn't know you liked to do this kind of jokes, Tesla, dear." Gauss made an uneasy face.

"Aw! He needed it! He needs more energy." Tesla laughed.

"… Oi! Nenjiro! Come out already…"

"Hmpf!"

Rokushadama Nenji was trying to speak with Napalm Man: he'd folded his arms and looked offended.

"Ya overwork me, Nenji! I'm not a servant!" He growled.

"Nenjiro! Be reasonable!"

"I AIN'T NENJIRO~!" Napalm Man roared.

The PC screen heated up and Rokushadama gasped as he stepped back from it while Napalm Man's close-up face showed up onscreen.

"Go hire an automated Navi! But I'm tiring of ya overworking me! We've been like this for over a year already!" Napalm Man told him.

"Okay, okay! I won't overwork ya! Can we at least finish the new fireworks I thought of?"

"Hah! Thinkin' is like a headache to ya!" Napalm Man taunted.

"Wha~t?"

"Yeah! That's the face I wanna see!"

"This grunt…!"

"… Yo! Rock Man."

"Ah! Thunder Man."

"Did you manage to disband those creeps in Heaven's Town?"

"Yeah. The only problem is…"

Rock Man and Thunder Man met in an Internet City street: Rock Man looked animated but Thunder Man looked defeated, for once.

"Don't tell me…" Netto seemed to know what it was about.

Raoul's window opened and he popped out while having the _disco_ disguise on and folding his arms.

"Oh yeah! _Big brother_ has arrived! _It's party time_!" He announced while aiming his arms towards the right.

"I knew it." Netto grimly muttered.

"Oh. There you are, Rock Man… Thunder Man is here, too! What a coincidence, really…"

Blues walked up towards them while having a smile on his face and looking amused.

"Oh. _Buruusu_. You came to arrange for the week's training day." Rock Man greeted with a smile.

"Hey! Blues. Nice seeing ya again…" Thunder Man smiled.

"Huh? Hey! Isn't that…?" Enzan asked upon spotting Raoul.

"Yo! _Little brother_ has arrived! The _Disco Duo_ will shake the ground with the newbie guys on it! _Rock n' Roll_!" Raoul grinned.

"That again…" Enzan looked defeated.

"Oi! Enzan! Bring out Blues' disguise and I'll bring out Thunder Man's one: we've been invited to this year's world singing tournament as well! _Oh yeah_!" Raoul announced.

"What!"

"No way…" Netto looked baffled.

"Way. It's the truth. It happened back during our investigation on "Asteroid" Cold Man." Blues admitted.

"Yeah. Even though Blues beat me by 10 points on the local competition, we became sort of a rumor." Thunder Man rolled his eyes.

"Whoa!" Rock Man sounded surprised.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… A party in the midst of the street… You guys amuse me." A familiar voice rang out.

A sheet covering the wall of a building came off and revealed Shadow Man who looked amused.

"Yo! Miyabi! Nice seeing cha 'round 'ere again… Wanna go sweep the floor with the creeps on it?" Raoul told him.

"Why not… I could show them the items of my _ninja collection_ which I have begun." Dark Miyabi amusedly replied.

"Whoa. _Ninja collection_…" Netto whistled in surprise.

"Yeah. Miyabi started it time ago." Shadow Man shrugged.

"_A~nd…_ _Start!_ Dance! Shake! Climb! Fall! Run! Jump! Kick! Punch! Come at me, you ugly creeps! I'm gonna make ya disguise as hounds and set the hunters on your trail!" Raoul began to dance accompanied by DJ music on the background.

Rock Man suddenly lowered his gaze and made a grimace as he closed both fists: Netto looked away and closed his eyes as well.

"Crap." Both Enzan and Blues muttered.

"… Enzan. Wednesday. Bye." Netto icily muttered.

"… Yeah. Wednesday. Later." Rock Man icily muttered as well.

He suddenly returned to his PET and Netto shut down the screen: both Thunder Man and Shadow Man looked surprised.

"Raoul! Oi! Raoul! You screwed it up! Stop acting like an idiot!" Thunder Man called out.

"… What?" Raoul stopped his show.

"…"Hunter"… Hunter Man." Shadow Man guessed.

"So that's what it was about." Miyabi muttered.

"Yeah. Like you'd guessed…" Blues sighed.

"Yeah. Hunter Man is a taboo for them. If Rock Man was almost killed by it, that's nothing compared to how he destroyed Netto's right arm and forced him to stay out of Net Battling for a whole month. It was hard enough for him to bear with it and not try to recklessly charge in and get himself killed." Enzan sighed and closed his eyes.

"I see. They still wish to defeat them so as to toss them into jail for their crimes."

They didn't spot someone leaning against the wall close by and seemingly hearing into the conversation: almost no light illuminated them given the shadow of a large building.

_Oh?_

They glanced towards there and seemed surprised by the conversation.

"… Oh." Raoul muttered.

"You had to come up with that word of all words!" Thunder Man scolded in obvious annoyance.

"… Yeah. I'm sorry. I never wanted to stir up that memory." Raoul took out the wig and sunglasses and looked repented.

"In any case… I'm off to talking with Search Man. He might've found something new in the Silver Arrow HQ. Later."

"Raoul! Try to be careful next time." Enzan requested.

"Yeah, I get the lesson…"

"I'll go speak with Yuriko. Later."

"_Sayounara_." Shadow Man announced.

He vanished with the cloud of smoke and Thunder Man sighed while Raoul closed his eyes.

"… I need time to think how to apologize to them." Raoul sighed.

The figure quickly ran away while looking calm and was soon out of sight when Thunder Man walked into that street while sighing.

16:55 PM (Japan Time)…

"… No. Don't worry about it, niisan. It's not like I'll be an idiot and try to seek revenge."

"That relieves me, otouto."

Saito was standing in front of Netto in the real world bedroom: he'd taken out the helmet and let his hair loose: it was neatly combed and had some slight brightness.

"I know…"

Netto was sitting on the bed and looking at the ground while Saito looked slightly concerned about his state.

"… I'm… going to rest a bit. Please wake me up if I'm not awake by 18:30 hours…" Netto slowly announced.

"Alright. Some rest will do you fine, otouto. I'll be cleansing downstairs, so… Take it easy." Saito made a weak smile.

Netto took out his slippers and laid face-up on the bed: he looked somewhat worried.

"… Man."

He sighed and began to articulate his fingers in a slow and methodical manner: he closed them to touch his palm and then articulated the wrists.

"Let's relax…"

He continued with the elbows and ended with the shoulders: his face relaxed and his breathing eased as well.

"… Later."

He fell asleep while Saito sighed and exited the bedroom to climb downstairs: their mother was sitting on the sofa and reading a cooking magazine.

"Eh… Mama. I'm going to wax the kitchen. Is that alright?" Saito announced.

"Go ahead." Haruka encouraged.

"Thanks."

Saito put on a white apron over his bodysuit and began to use the mop to wax the kitchen while humming a tune.

… _No. I mustn't think of that. Concentrate on something else… What could I think of? Oh! Yeah… That "Yellow M" Belgian comic was cool! The art style was so detailed and realistic… And the story was deep and complex as well! It turns out Solo's suggestion was a good one. They haven't showed up with their holograms again ever since about three weeks ago, more or less… Tey must be doing something there but I dunno what. They're harmless, after all, since they only tease us with jokes… _

"… I see. Nothing, then?"

"No. Laika – sama is starting to run out of patience."

"No wonder."

Blues was speaking with Search Man while standing inside of a Cyber World somewhere: Search Man looked tired.

"I tried an approach like Golden Star's HQ riddle… But there are lots of place out there the names of which translate as "Three Hills"… And I can't narrow down if it's in Japan, Asia, Europe or the Ameroupe continents… In short: there's no way to guess where that place is at." Laika told Enzan while looking frustrated.

"Yeah… I tried the same approach, too… No dice. And even if we caught those two, I wouldn't be surprised if Ivan and Sergei suddenly surface to rescue them from the reformatory."

"If only Yamikawa bothered to be helpful… I'm sure the guy has known all along and he's holding back to make us sweat and laugh at us by saying "I'm a genius"…"

"I get that same feeling, too. What can you expect of someone who's been stuck there for 15 years and was forced to even kill his own father, anyway?" Enzan replied with a hint of fear.

"Ugh. I better not provoke the guy, then." Laika grimly muttered.

"No. I don't want another beat-up by that Solo guy." Blues muttered.

"And I don't want to have to go through those Temples again, either. They were a nightmare."

"Anyway… We're stuck. And I get the vibe that something is gonna happen soon."

"Yeah. I just felt a shiver go down my spine."

"… So! That's how Netto got the wound. Nice catch, Roll. He went ahead pretending he'd slid down a hill in an accident."

"Yeah. But something in the air bothers me, Meiru – chan."

Roll was telling Meiru what she'd found out: Meiru looked somewhat worried while Roll looked unsure.

_Is it me or is something going to happen?_ Roll wondered.

Meiru sighed and looked at a piano music sheet set on her desk with a worried look.

"… I shouldn't be acting so selfish, really… I keep on trying to play the tomboy and all but…" She muttered.

"Calm down, Meiru – chan! Let's not get nervous. Try the piano."

"Yeah. Guess so…"

She placed the music sheet on the shelf and began to practice a melody but that didn't shake off her gloomy mood.

"… Is it me or there's some air current?" She suddenly asked.

"Huh? No. All sensors say the windows are properly closed."

Meiru stood up and began to walk across the house checking all windows and making sure they were properly locked.

"… My imagination then… But… I've got a bad feeling… Netto… Are you going to face danger again…? Can't I help you…?"


	3. Chapter 2: Strange data

**Chapter 2: Strange data**

09:44 AM (Barcelona Time), Monday December the 5th…

"… Hum, hum, hum… Heh, heh! _Viva la Vida _beats 'em all."

Hunter Man was humming a tune as he worked into something while inside of Obihiro's PC: he was interacting with several screens and graphs which gave out multiple readouts.

"Almost there… 98.87% complete… Another little bit… And the program will be functional again. Heh, heh, heh." He muttered.

A purple flash suddenly came out of nowhere and a bubble-shaped Time – Space anomaly formed: it had a grayish mass inside of its body.

"What!"

A lance with a diamond on top of it flew out and hit the ground: it stood there in vertical position and projected a dome of a bluish transparent light.

"What's that?"

A figure jumped out of the bubble and landed inside of the dome while its body emitted a golden flash which forced Hunter Man to protect his eyes with his right arm.

"W-what the…?" He cursed.

"You must be Hunter Man EXE." A voice rang out.

Sidier stepped out of the dome while looking calm: he carried a data cube under his right arm.

"Sergei - dono…!" He gasped.

"Wrong. My design is based off him. My name is Sidier. I serve Emperor S – sama." Sidier calmly corrected.

"Emperor S – sama, did you say…?" Obihiro gasped.

"Obihiro Shun?"

"C-correct!" He quickly confirmed.

"Emperor S – sama has a job for you."

"I-I'm honored!"

"Heh. Anyway… It's about this." He grinned.

He deposited the data cube on the ground and it projected a holographic display of some data clusters which seemed to be extremely damaged and broken.

"All of our attempts to repair this have been in vain and we believe that the root lies within our world's atmosphere. That's why Emperor S – sama thought that it might respond to this environment and it might be capable of be repaired. It's not a mere program or a Virus: we believe it to be a new kind of cybernetic data living being." Sidier announced.

"Whoa… Eh… Please leave to me… I'll use… All my potential… For Emperor S – sama."

"Excellent. If you were wondering… We've been able to come out thanks to us reverse engineering the "Light Armor" you designed when you were an insider on the Science Labs. We have to pay a price, though: 10% of our power is spent on protecting our bodies from contact with the environment. All damage we take does not affect the "Transition Program", as we have come to name it." Sidier announced.

"W-whoa… Eh… I mean… That's something… to be expected from Emperor S – sama…"

Hunter Man glanced at Obihiro's face and quickly made it look like the mention of the name turned him nervous.

"T-true… So… Eh… Sidier… You will… drop by to monitor us?" He guessed aloud.

"Correct. And you might call me "Sidier" just like that. I have no rank. I am but a warrior." Sidier replied while turning serious.

"W-we understand." Hunter Man acknowledged.

"Good. Leave that "safe zone" there: I need it to power up this program once I release it. It'll save me the trouble of having to bring a new lance every time I have to drop by. I'm fond of surprise visits." Sidier told them with a smile.

"R-roger."

"There's no deadline, but don't neglect work, Obihiro. Emperor S – sama knows everything."

"Y-yeah! I'll start to work on it ASAP!"

"Good enough. Farewell!"

Sidier stepped into the "safe zone" and his body emitted a purple flash before he jumped into the bubble: it emitted some flashes of purple light before diminishing into a round purple-colored mass of energy which spun around like a disc.

"Hunter Man! How much time do you think we need to complete my program?"

"I'd say 40 minutes, Shun – sama." Hunter Man replied.

"Good. I've got the input ready. Let's finish that and then we'll begin work on the data Sidier brought us."

"Roger."

"… So?"

"He behaved as Yamikawa – sama predicted."

"Heh, heh, heh. I knew it."

"Yeah. That you're dense."

Sidier had reported to Saruba: he looked amused and chuckled before Somari's voice rang out.

"Yikes!"

"Hmpf."

Both felt a shiver go down his spine and Sidier stood up to step asides as Somari walked in while looking slightly annoyed.

"B-but! Somari – chan! I fixed that!" Saruba protested.

"Hmpf. Gotcha." She grinned.

"… I think we were being made a pun." Sidier muttered with a hint of nervousness.

"Bravo, Sidier. You're starting to catch up." Somari grinned.

"Ah… Thank you very much… Somari – chan." He saluted.

"That's way better! Anyway. Saruba. There's a mosquito buzzing around your head." Somari told him.

"No way… There aren't mosquitoes in the Cyber World!" He protested.

"Tee, heh, heh. Anyway… That of the DS Viruses wasn't a bad idea, either… It was fun to try to take on that Spark Bee hive: their Queen had some mood, really… It's now resting three feet under the ground." She giggled.

"Ah… Is that so…?" Saruba looked nervous.

"Tee, heh, heh. I'm sure you'll run off to the Death Temple to see your buddies and make sure I'm not contagious. And then I'll teaching this guy over here one or two things." Somari giggled as he glanced at Sidier.

Sidier's skin turned white and he began to sweat and tremble as he tried to kept the saluting pose.

"Man! It's not like I'm a woman S&M sadist! I just meant to say how to see through those idiotic _clichés_ out there and what contents you shouldn't look up!" Somari grumbled.

"Ah… I s-see…"

"And something tells me Solo went ahead to the Fortress Temple because the atmosphere here is heating up… As usual. Am I correct, Somari – chan ?" Saruba guessed.

"Tee, heh, heh. Meitantei Saruba strikes back… Weren't ya gonna say that, Saruba?" Somari teased.

"M-maybe…" He nervously replied.

"Hmpf. Anyway… Beware of Asajj Ventress: the chick is hot and wants to slice all of you into pieces to prove that she's a true Sith warrior." Somari joked.

She giggled as she ran off and both looked nervous.

"… Eh… Who is "Asajj Ventress"? Yamikawa – sama?" Sidier asked while looking towards him.

"Hum… A _Star Wars_ character… She had a lot of involvement in the Clone Wars as an assassin for the Sith Order… She was the sadist type to go and kill with satisfaction and sans remorse as far as I can recall… The character showed up for the first time over three years ago in a comic book named _Jedi: Mace Windu_…" Saruba brought a hand to his chin to recall.

"Ah… I see. What are my orders, Yamikawa – sama?" Sidier nervously asked.

"You're dismissed."

"Roger."

Sidier stepped out and entered his own room: it only had a bookcase, a bed, a desk with a purple lamp and a chair.

"Let's see… This one."

He walked over to the bookcase and pulled out an e – book comic labeled _The Adventures of Blake & Mortimer: The Great Pyramid's Mystery (Volume 2)._

"Heh!"

He sat down on the chair and flipped through the holographic pages until he reached the spot he'd left off: he began to read.

"This is cool, man."

18:08 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Ah… De masu… Mariko – sensei looks as beautiful as ever…"

"Yamitarou! Quit it already!"

"Ah… Mariko – sensei…"

"Higure – san!"

"Yikes, de masu!"

CRASH!

Higure Yamitarou had been spying on Mariko while standing atop a tree and using binoculars: Number Man had tried to stop him when someone called out to him and he fell down from the tree in a totally chaotic manner and ended up in a weird pose while his glasses flew out and landed elsewhere: Oozono Yuriko didn't look in a good mood as she stood there and loomed over him.

"Oh! Yuriko – san…! Eh… What a… coincidence, de masu! There some rare birds… around here! De masu!" He nervously improvised.

"Rare birds in the middle of the city… Do you really believe I lack intelligence?" Yuriko grumbled.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! What were you expecting, Yuriko? This guy is a Battle Chip _otaku_!" Needle Man grinned.

"Please don't do that again or I'll report it to the authorities! You can be charged with stalker behavior!" Yuriko scolded.

"Wha~! De masu~!"

Higure stood up all of a sudden and ran off like he was going to be slaughtered alive while Yuriko grumbled and sighed in defeat.

"That person… He's impossible." She muttered with obvious annoyance on her voice.

"… Shah, shah, shah, shah, shah! Yeah… So…? What are we gonna do, Yuriko?"

"I'm going to check out the surroundings just in case. Let's go." Yuriko replied.

"Shah, shah, shah!"

"… I see. We aren't making any noticeable progress, then?"

"No, Princess. We haven't."

Pride was speaking with Knight Man and she looked somewhat nervous with the information.

"Not only cannot Nakayami Ivan and Sergei be located, the clue to the traitors Obihiro and Hunter Man is too vague to lead anywhere." Knight Man reported.

"We're totally stuck and I don't like the sound of it. I fear for what they can do next…" Pride muttered.

She stood up and walked towards the windows to look out into the city while having a worried expression on her face.

"… I insist!"

"No! It's dangerous."

"But…!"

"No "buts": it's for your own good, Dingo."

Dingo was discussing with Maha over something: Maha looked firm while Dingo looked annoyed.

"Give me back my tomahawk, Maha! I can't live without it!" He dramatized.

"You can." Tomahawk Man replied.

"Che! Why did I have to name ya "Tomahawk" Man instead of "Sioux" Man? Man!" Dingo grumbled.

"Ask Mr. Universe." Wily chuckled.

"Good afternoon."

Miyabi stepped into the store and sat down where Regal had been at: he wasn't there anymore and Meijin had seemingly left as well.

"Oh. Dark Miyabi… Is everything nominal out there?" Dr. Wily greeted with a smile.

"Yeah. There are no _Naraku_ envoys to be seen anywhere." Shadow Man announced.

"Quit it with the _Naraku_…"

"Heh, heh, heh… Ah… Wouldn't you know? I met Gauss – kun the other day: he got such a surprise, really! Oh… But I know how he claimed that the WWW was the only stain on my name… Well then! He should've tried to speak with the "Professor" about it… He'd shown him that the WWW was a serious organization! That "Neo WWW" thing should've been called "Fool's Club" to begin with." Wily sounded amused.

"I totally agree with it! _Fool's Club_: you _punks_ are _over_! Hah!" Count Elec exclaimed.

"Yeah! They were so stupid… Wily – sama proved it to them back when the solar eclipse day!" Hinoken exclaimed.

"Yeah! But… You know… The "WWW" is still dismantled. We haven't resurrected it yet." Madoi frowned.

"Not like I had any intent of… I'm just fulfilling a final wish for a person I respected." Wily calmly replied.

"Barrel Tai – sa…" Miyabi muttered.

"… Good afternoon…" Dekao greeted as he walked in while looking totally exhausted.

"You're still under punishment, Dekao?" Maha guessed.

"Yeah! And they want to extend it until February… Man! Why doesn't anyone believe in me?" He growled.

"That's because you couldn't prove anything. It was just boasting and an insult to the honor."

"Che… I get it… I'm gonna work on the kitchen…" Dekao grumbled.

He headed inside of the kitchen while Guts Man entered the Cyber World while scratching his head.

"Let's see… Guts… Ah! What does "esper" mean, de gutsu?" Guts Man asked them.

"…"Esper"? Someone who can read people's minds, they say… Thanks to ESP or Extra Sensorial Powers… It's a Pocket Monsters Type which is weak to Bug Type and Evil Type." Elec Man frowned.

"I'm not one." Shadow Man announced.

"Guts… And what is a "schemer", de guts?" He asked next.

"I'm one." Shadow Man chuckled.

"Very funny." Tomahawk Man drily told him.

"It'd seem you aren't one for humor anymore, Tomahawk Man." Shadow Man told him while sounding amused.

"No. I ain't. And bring your jokes to a King Land show." Tomahawk Man shot back while looking unimpressed.

"Gladly…"

"Guts… This guy is the bad guy, then?" Guts Man guessed.

"Wrong. Shut your trap, Gorilla Man." Tomahawk Man snapped at him.

"But there isn't any Gorilla Man here, guts." He looked around.

"Che. Dekao lacked imagination so that's why he tried to be cool and name ya "Guts" Man instead of "Gorilla" Man. You look like a stupid primate!" Tomahawk Man growled.

"No way, de guts!" He gasped.

"Way." Tomahawk Man shot back.

"Heh, heh, heh… Internal strife and confusion… The envoys of the _Naraku_ are already at work here." Shadow Man announced.

"I don't think you can joke with that." Miyabi warned.

"Oh. Let me loose for a while, Miyabi."

"Yeah. And when I look back you'll have decorated this place to look like that fake Chinatown District Internet City you and the Cut Man Brothers came up with back when "Gospel" hired you." Miyabi countered.

"Oh… That wouldn't be a bad idea." Shadow Man sounded interested.

"Crap. I spoke too much."

"Heh, heh, heh. It'd seem they're still roaming out there, though… That bomb didn't get to delete them." Wily warned.

"Interesting. Maybe I'll go visit the elder: he though highly of me." Shadow Man announced.

"… I can feel it: something is happening." Miyabi suddenly muttered.

"So you're an esper, Miyabi?"

"Chut. This is serious."

"But what's happening, then?"

"Some plot…" He muttered with some annoyance to his voice.

"Obihiro?" Shadow Man guessed.

"Possibly. The Nakayami Brothers are candidates too."

"Should I investigate?"

"Go on ahead: try to contact Needle Man too."

"Roger."

"That's weird. I've got a bad feeling too." Tomahawk Man admitted while looking worried.

"Guts Mans feels that the air is cold, de guts."

"What's going on and where? Someone's staging an incident. But who is doing it…? Damn. Let's hope no – one dies…!"


	4. Chapter 3: Nightmare

**Chapter 3: Nightmare**

18:21 PM (Japan Time), Monday December the 5th…

_Unh… Where am I…? What's going on…?_

Netto slowly regained consciousness: he felt like he was sitting but he couldn't see anything and he noticed something strange with his body along with some buzz sounds and wood creaking noise.

_What the… This sensation… It can't be…!_

He tried to move, but noticed something metallic closed around his ankles and how his feet were rubbing against a surface made of wood: he tried to shout next but noticed something blocking his yells.

That something was some kind of plastic spheroid with many small holes and a black leather band to adjust it around his lower head: he noticed a black wool blindfold covering his eyes as well.

_No…! There's no way… It's impossible…! _

He noticed what felt like leathers bands around his body: there was a thin one around his neck with a small metallic ring.

There were another two interconnected bands of adjustable bands which passed over his shoulders, ran down his sides and circled around his ankles, almost scratching his member.

A small circle had been set on the base of his cock with three bands circling around the whole of his sack.

He also had some metallic pieces set on his forearms: his arms had been moved behind him and something was locking the two pieces so that he couldn't use his forearms at all.

_S&M gear…!_

He then noticed two clothes pegs on each of his nipples: one was was placed to face forward and felt like plastic while the other was horizontal and felt like wood: something had been inserted into his urethra as well to block it off.

_No… This can't be happening…! How could this happen…? Wasn't I taking a nap at home…? And Saito – niisan was there…!_

He felt two small capsule-shaped objects attached above his nipples with cello tape and another on his cock's head.

A thick 5cm wide silicon vibrator had been forced into his insides: it had several plastic spots on it making it force his muscles open.

_I'm sitting on something…! And this form… Triangle… No! The triangular wooden horse…? The worst thing anyone in S&M can experience…! Shuuichi – kun was tortured by this thing but he luckily forgot about it thinking it was a nightmare…! But this is real!_

He noticed a chain originating from that metallic ring and connecting to something else close by: the chain seemed to be short given how it was tensed and Netto's face was rubbing against another face: he could hear the sound of plastic scratching against plastic as well.

_There's someone else in front of me…! Saito – niisan…? No…! He's being tortured along with me…? Nemenaya's talk was true, then…!_

"… Look at them: aren't they lovely, Legato?" A soft manly voice rang out close by: it sounded similar to Saito's own.

"Yes, Oriol – sama. It is beautiful." Another voice replied: it sounded very similar to Blues' own.

_No way…! Kuroshiro Oriol and Legato…! Golden Star…! But Ivan said they'd fled to "another Universe"…! _He gasped.

"Heh, heh, heh. It's been too long, Netto – kun. What we told Ivan was misinformation! We've gone underground as well. And we were waiting for our chance to continue you and Saito's favorite game: S&M!" The person named Kuroshiro announced.

"Saito – kun: I know you're hearing. Aren't you glad? We're going to play a lot… And your dear otouto is in front of you, too! You can't complain that we have to use separate rooms anymore." Legato announced.

"Legato. Let's go make them company."

"Yes, sir. By your orders." Legato confirmed.

_No…! No…! _Netto knew what they meant.

The wooden horse creaked as the two individuals climbed into it: Netto felt two hands using fingerless gloves grabbing the sides of his body and someone's head over his right shoulder.

"Netto – kun… You're going to see Heaven!"

"Heh, heh, heh. My _toy – boy_ is eager to feel my nice cock up his insides and experience the same as taking two guys' cocks into his nice little body…" Legato announced.

Netto heard the sound of a zip opening and felt a real cock forcing its way into his insides along with the vibrator.

"Let's begin. On the count of 3: 3, 2, 1… Start!"

"Start!"

All of the vibrators were turned on and Netto arched his body backwards as the vibrations plagued him: he felt Kuroshiro's cock pushing in and pulling out at a constant rhythmic.

_Raped…! I'm being raped…! How did these guys creep into our house? How they did catch us so easily…? No…! Let me go! I'm no longer your "servant", Oriol! You manipulated me with hypnosis to turn me into a masochist!_

"Heh, heh, heh… Netto – kun… Breaking in was so easy! We just had to use our Time Space Device or portal generating machine… Saito had happened to come back upstairs and was cleansing the closet, so… Legato had it easy catching him. And you were sleeping, so…" Kuroshiro told him in an amused tone.

_You lowlife…! Let me go! Let me go!_

Netto's cock got hard and he felt one hand grabbing it and have it aim forward while he felt Saito's cock intercrossing with his and aiming towards him: some thin ropes were tied to force them to remain in that position.

"You're gonna spray each other's faces before you share a passionate kiss and we'll then make you see the White World…" Legato let out with obvious eagerness.

Netto felt Kuroshiro releasing inside of him and his hands pulling at his clothes pin, making him inwardly yell in pain.

"Heh, heh, heh!"

Kuroshiro then closed his right hand around his balls and gripped them in a hard manner as he rubbed one of his left hand's fingers around Netto's cock head.

_N-no more…! The masochist instincts…! They're coming back…! I don't want to go mad! No! I wanna come to! Take out the plug!_

"… 05:45… There's still plenty of time to play before we hit the 10 minutes mark. Heh, heh, heh."

_Fuck! I won't endure another four minutes at this rate!_

Netto felt Kuroshiro's fingers pulling the skin at his cock's base as well as gripping his balls' skin and pulling as well: Netto then felt how Kuroshiro placed a school bag on him and began to fill it with books: its weight made Netto's body stay glued to the wooden horse and he felt how the vibrator was pushing deeper in.

_No…! No more…! I'm… gonna go crazy…! No…!_

"… 07:55… Heh, heh, heh. Let's test your pain sensitivity."

Netto suddenly felt something which emitted heat being held by Kuroshiro's right hand and a hot substance fell on top of his cock's head: Netto inwardly yelled and tried to lift up out of instinct but the weight made him fall back before he'd been able to even climb two centimeters and the vibrator's spots scratched against his inner muscles.

_W-what the…! What was that…?_

Netto felt something hot dropping into his nipples and his balls: he tried to climb up but fell and the vibrator plunged deeper inside of him.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Do you like the feeling of hot wax, Netto – kun?" Kuroshiro asked of him.

_Damn it all! Hot wax…! Candles' wax…! They've gone crazy…! Stop it already…! I wanna fight back…! And beat you guys…!_

"… 09:20… Let's begin setting the stage for the conclusion." Legato announced.

Netto felt how the spheroid on his mouth was removed, but, before he could shout, he felt his open mouth make contact with Saito's and their tongues began to mix together.

_I'm being force to kiss Saito – niisan…! Isn't this called "incest"? I thought it was a bad thing to do…!_

Netto could feel how cock convulsing as it attempted to release but was unable to because of the plug.

"… 09:45… Another few seconds…"

_Shit! Is this the _Naraku_ or what? It never ends!_

He felt how his head was pulled back a few centimeters and he began to pant to recover his breath.

"… Time Over. Enjoy your reward, lovebirds." Legato chuckled.

Netto felt how the plug was released and a streak of cum came out of his cock: he felt another entering his mouth and filling it with Saito's cum.

"A~h!"

They were then forced to undergo another kiss while mixing in their liquid: they were then separated while a string of saliva and cum connected them.

"Heh, heh, heh. This video is gonna be a hit. And I guess this must be their _white string of fate_ linking them… Tinted just like their liquid's color…"

"Obviously, Oriol – sama. Hear me out, Saito – kun… If you try to speak about this to anyone then the video goes out and we'll have edited it with footage back when you were part of Golden Star…"

"Huh…!"

"The point will be this: it'll look like you two have done incest out of your own free will and are S&M masochists… It'd cause a lovely scandal and we'd then pick you two to bail you out of there so as to bring you here and play for a very long time…" Legato listed with obvious evil on his voice.

"Huh…!"

"… NO~!"

Netto violently sat up on his bed while looking shocked while Saito suddenly sat from a chair in which he'd been dozing off: evening was already setting outside of the house.

"Huff, huff…!"

Netto panted and looked at his hands as if to check he was real: he suddenly felt burnt sensation, pain sensation and that his boxers were wet with his cum as well as his insides having scratches inside of them.

"Saito… niisan…" He slowly called out.

"Netto… kun… otouto…" Saito slowly replied.

"I c-can't… believe it… we're still sane…?" Netto grimly muttered.

"Yeah… But… My body… won't forget about this…" Saito grimly muttered.

"… A video… They made a video… and they can edit it to destroy our lives…! They've… gone crazy!"

"Yeah… And being forced to… have incest… with Netto – kun was… horrible…" Saito brought both hands to his forehead.

"Damn… Why… Why are we so _powerless_? After all we went through… I thought… we were strong enough…!"

"The real world is… a cruel place…"

"… What are we supposed to do…? What _can_ we do…?" Netto asked.

"I don't know… I wish I knew…!" Saito began to shed tears.

Netto buried his face on his palms and also began to cry.

"My life… They want to destroy my life… They want to… steal my freedom… and turn me… into a mindless… servant… No…! I won't let them… I'll destroy them!" He cursed.

"Yeah… We'll find them… and defeat them…!" Saito cursed.

"… Success!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Strategy: Crash is working fine."

Obihiro looked amused while inside of his refuge while Hunter Man was chuckling.

"Heh, heh, heh. _The Matrix_ was a good inspiration. Will you be able to distinguish reality and virtual, Hikari? You're slowly trekking the road to self-destruction. And that of the video wasn't a bluff, either. Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"Rock Man… You lowlife will soon wish you lowlife were dead instead of being slowly and painfully destroyed until you lowlife fall into the Infinite _Naraku_… Heh, heh, heh." Hunter Man chuckled.

"Anyway… We'll play that video with some edits day after day and see how the torment consumes the guy. We gotta start working on the data Sidier brought over. It's Priority One."

"Roger."

Hunter Man accessed the data and began to examine it using various screens and scanners.

"I can pick remains of what looks like a program core… The architecture looks somewhat a bend of backup – restored data and original stable yet radically different data like you'd tried digitizing a complex organism… It's the weirdest data I've ever seen, Shun – sama."

"Yeah… And the degree of damage indicates that its structure was broken apart by an incredibly powerful attack: the defense and body armor values are very high!" Obihiro whistled in surprise.

"Is that so?" A new voice asked.

They gasped and spotted Sidier coming out of the bubble: his body flashed and he then walked over to them.

"Emperor S – sama felt somewhat impatient: he wants a preview."

"As you guys had guessed, it's a new type of "Darkloid"… And whoever or whatever destroyed it must've had a brutally high destructive power to tear through such armor values… Its mix is rather weird… It's like you'd tried fusing old and new data without trying to rewrite the old data and then fill the missing spots with backup data…" Hunter Man explained as he read another screen.

"Intriguing! Do you have an estimate of how much time you need to find out its name, at the very least?" Sidier brought a hand to his chin.

"The ID tag isn't at its usual place, so… I guess it must be somewhere in the memory files, if we can find them and begin rebuilding them… But I don't feel like giving any estimates: this whole job could keep us busy during a whole week, even… If we could trigger this system to replace missing data, then, we could speed it up a lot… 90% of the system seems to have survived…" Obihiro replied as he typed into the laptop.

"Are thou hearing this, Emperor S – sama?" Sidier looked at the inactive Time Space gateway.

"Yeah. It's picking me." Saruba replied.

"Oh! Emperor S – sama! Thou presence honors us!"

"I-indeed…!"

"I can see a good mood over here! Excellent. I want you guys to be motivated… Maybe I'll make Vader's TIE X1 Advanced orbit around you guys and have him set its laser cannons on you two…" Saruba joked.

"Yikes!" Both gasped.

"It'd seem you will be busy for a while… Well then. I might drop by twice a day. Goodbye." Sidier announced with a smile.

"_Good luck_."

"T-thank you very much!" Both replied.

Sidier departed while they sighed in relief.

"Oh! What a strike of luck, Shun – sama! I found the remaining data for the emergency self-repair system… Hum? What? T-this is…!" Hunter Man announced before spotting something and gasping.

"What?"

"It'd seem that it has a system of nanomachines equipped with the means to recreate the data at mad speeds…! This would speed up the repairs at an incredibly quick rate!" Hunter Man reported.

"Whoa. Auto – repair nanomachines… I'm thrilled! Let's get working on triggering it and we'll see what happens…! Heh, heh, heh! This will be totally worth it!"

"Roger."

Hunter Man inputted some commands and some black spots appeared over the pieces of data: they began to compile together and form a vague humanoid figure around the program core as it was being regenerated some more data filled the insides of the figure.

"Humanoid model… I'd say it's close to a meter and eighty tall… No info on combat capabilities or no memory files as of yet…" Hunter Man reported while he looked at some screens.

"Whoa. We'll be granting life back to this "Darkloid"… I wonder where it came out from and what happened to it… One thing is sure: the Net Police, Forte or Freeze Man didn't have anything to do with it. They'd reported to the "Net Saviors" and there's no such report, so…" Obihiro muttered with surprise before frowning.

"Yeah. But I doubt having restored the body's full complexity in less than 24 hours… The memory files may take longer as well as restoring combat capabilities… It'll be a hard work but certainly not impossible." Hunter Man calculated.

"Heh, heh, heh… I'm a genius! Emperor S – sama did well on contacting me: I shall prove to him that I am worth his time and patience… Heh, heh, heh…"

"Boo."

"YIKES!"

They looked around and Hunter Man heard a giggle ringing out of the Time – Space gateway.

"Eh… Who is it?" He politely asked.

"Kagehi Somari: I thought ya guys knew 'bout me."

"Oh! Kagehi – sama." He made a courteous bow.

"Save me the _samurai_ show."

"Yikes! Eh… Roger, ma'am!" He saluted.

"That's better. I heard the chat with Saruba. The guy went for a walk and now I'm on the throne. But don't mind it: instead of Vader's ship I'll grant you an Imperial Destroyer. Tee, heh, heh, heh."

"Yikes." Both gulped.

"One question! Is popcorn still popular?"

"Well… Yes… I always see popcorn stands on all theaters…" Obihiro admitted with some surprise.

"Good. Then I'm going to shower Saruba with popcorn. He'll hate it forever, I guess. Tee, heh, heh, heh."

"Oh boy." Hunter Man gulped.

_Those guys are odd but their power is no joke! I don't want to kid around with them: they could smash us in the blink of an eye! _Obihiro inwardly gulped.

"See ya around, Onyx – Cursed – Hounds. Ho, ho, ho, ho!"

_What a silly motto! Anyway… Let's continue… Heh, heh, heh, heh!_


	5. Chapter 4: Psychology

**Chapter 4: Psychology**

07:33 AM (Japan Time), Thursday December the 8th…

"… Good morning."

"'Morning…"

"Good morning, you two."

Netto and Saito climbed down from upstairs: Netto had purple bags under his eyes and looked sleepy as he sat down in front of the table to eat breakfast while Saito displayed similar symptoms as he sat down on another chair.

"… Netto. Saito. I need to talk with you two." Haruka suddenly called out while looking serious, for once.

"What's up…?" Netto asked.

"Hmmm…?" Saito slowly looked up.

"You haven't been able to sleep properly and you're always so quiet and mute… What happened to your usual energy? Is something bothering you two? And I know it's not school." Haruka asked.

"… It's nothing." Netto looked at the ground.

"… Uh-huh…" Saito sluggishly muttered.

"Netto. Saito. You're not going anywhere until you tell me. This is important." Haruka told them.

"… I can't, Mama. We can't. We'd be dead." Netto muttered with obvious fear and frustration.

"What?" She gasped.

"… No… I can't hold it back anymore… We're under extortion… And we don't know how to avoid it…" Saito muttered.

"Extortion…? What in the world happened?" Haruka asked.

"… It's a long story… But I don't have time for it."

"… Go to school. Saito. Stay here and tell me what's going on." Haruka commanded.

"Roger, Mama…" Saito looked at the ground.

Netto finished his breakfast and stood up: he put on the shoes and then looked towards the living room.

"… I'm off. Later."

"Be careful."

"Later, otouto…"

Netto came out while Haruka picked a chair and sat next to Saito.

"So? What's going on?" She asked.

"… Every afternoon… Two bad guys who we used to know show up out of nowhere and kidnap us to harass us and then record it on video… They use it as a threat… because they edited it to make it look like _we_ wanted to be harassed… If anyone saw it… they'd fall for it, and… our lives would be over. We'd be rejected by everyone… and they're waiting for it to keep us hostage and keep on harassing us…" Saito admitted.

"Goodness! But why can't you do something about it, Saito? Aren't you capable of fighting back?" Haruka asked.

"I try to stay alert and otouto also does each afternoon around 6 o'clock which is when it happens, but… We both lose consciousness at the same moment, and the next moment they've already caught us! And by the time we regain consciousness, we're back here!" Saito explained.

"And how can they come in and out so easily?"

"They can create a "portal" out of the blue, come out, and bring us to the origin of it… And it's impossible to track it." Saito let out.

"Hmmm… But how can you lose consciousness at the same time? I know both of you are mentally "linked", but…" Haruka frowned.

"We believe they take profit of it, but… I can't narrow down the cause."

"Wait. You lose consciousness, wake up to be harassed and you then wake up again here… Are you sure that it's happening _for real_?" Haruka asked him while bringing a hand to his chin.

"Yeah… Because, when we wake up, we can still feel the sensations we experienced while we were being harassed…" Saito replied.

"Couldn't you be over imaging them? Could it be some kind of realistic nightmare instead?"

"… Hum… I hadn't thought of that. But that doesn't explain why they happen exactly around 6 o'clock or why we both experience the same thing in a synchronized manner. We're not always "linked": both of us can pick if we want to disconnect it." Saito frowned.

"Hmmm… I think you two will need to see a psychologist. He could help you two pinpoint the origin of this."

"Sure… But I know it all began when Golden Star and that this recent thing was influenced by something which happened to a classmate…" Saito yawned.

"Nevertheless, I will feel at ease if you speak with one. I'll call Yuuichirou – san and ask him if he knows someone in the field. And please wash your face: you look horrible, Saito." Haruka announced.

"Roger…"

Saito sluggishly walked over to the ground floor bathroom and used the sin to wash his face: he looked at his own face with a prolonged absent-like gaze.

_Everything is just a nightmare…? It isn't reality…? Where does reality start at? Where do nightmares start at? I don't know…! I want to end this… I want to break free…!_

He closed both fists and made a grimace as he stepped out of the room and slowly climbed upstairs into their bedroom: he suddenly frowned upon glancing at the closet.

_The closet… Wait a min…_

He brought a hand to his chin and seemed to be thinking about it as evidenced by his expression.

_Legato always says he catches me as I clean the closet, but… I don't remember having stepped into it during the week! Could that be a hint to point out that this "nightmare" is intentionally caused and that Legato's dialogue was improvised without thinking about it?_

He lowered his hand and sighed in defeat as opened the closet and looked inside of its space.

_True. This needs some cleansing. Hmmm… We'll see. But I hope the psychologist can help us in this matter. Nobody will abuse of us anymore and nobody will rob us of our freedom!_

"… Hello. Hikari lab… Oh. Mama?"

Yuuichirou had been inside of his office working on some papers when the phone rang and he picked it up.

"… WHAT? How can that…? A psychologist…? Yeah… Good idea… I'll try to arrange it for this same afternoon… I'll be coming back as well: maybe I can come up with something to prevent it. Yeah… Later."

He placed the phone receiver on its place and sighed while looking depressed by the news.

"Dr. Hikari?"

Yuuichirou looked up to see Dr. Regal walking in while looking rather concerned.

"I did not mean to overhear, but…" He apologized.

"No… Don't mind it."

"I happen to know a psychologist: I used to visit him when I had some troubles one or two years ago." Dr. Regal announced.

"Oh! Thank you very much, Dr. Regal."

"No, do not mind it… Here you have."

Dr. Regal searched his wallet and gave Yuuichirou a visiting card:

"Yamada Endero: Psychologist"

"I'll contact him… Thank you very much." Yuuichirou told Dr. Regal.

"Please do not mind it. I just want to help you."

He stepped out of the office while Yuuichirou dialed the phone number and waited.

"Yamada Endero… How might I help you with?" A man replied.

"Yamada – san? My name is Hikari Yuuichirou… A gentleman named Dr. Regal told me about you, sir." Yuuichirou told him.

"Oh. Dr. Regal did… What can I do for you, sir?"

"Actually… It's about my son. He seems to have some psychological problem which causes repetitive nightmares on him… He's having a very hard time trying to find the cause, so…"

"Goodness! Then… I have some time between 5 and 6 PM… Is that alright?"

"That would do fine. Please take note: Netto. 13. 1st year of middle school…"

"Good. I'll be waiting for him."

"Oh! His Navi will be coming along using a special device to materialize, so… Don't be surprised. They're like brothers to each other, so… He also wants to get to the bottom of this." Yuuichirou announced.

"Ah. I understand, Hikari – san. Please count on me, sir. I'll do my best to help them out."

"Thank you very much." Yuuichirou thanked.

He placed the receiver back on its place and sighed as he took out his glasses and cleansed them.

"This is bad. Very bad."

00:14 AM (Barcelona Time)…

"… Crap. They're starting to catch up."

"What should we do, Shun – sama?"

Obihiro was checking up something with the laptop and looked nervous about it while Hunter Man was calm.

"I'm not sure… But if it fails, they'll want to have payback, so… That's where the backup plan would butt in."

"Roger. By the way… Body restoration, consciousness restoration and combat capabilities restoration are complete. Memory files restoration is at 65%: I expect another two to three days." Hunter Man reported.

"Good. Emperor S – sama is pleased with our work insofar, so… Has our guest been able to deduce what happened to them with the restored memory files insofar?"

"No. Restoration seems to be going from the very first memories to the ones before its deletion. They're still confused and out of place. They can understand that we're trying to restore it to normal, but… They won't talk about anything." Hunter Man explained.

"We better don't push it, then…"

"Roger."

Hunter Man departed the screen while Obihiro stretched on the sofa and drank some hot chocolate.

"Anyway… It's not like I'm a fan of this S&M stuff, but since it's their worst nightmare… It's useful. Heh, heh, heh." He muttered.

He began to type into the keyboard and brought up some screens including an email.

"Hmmm… Equipment acquired… Ready to act any day… Heh, heh, heh, heh… Let's settle it for Saturday, then."

_My plan is flawless!_

17:07 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Welcome. Are you Hikari Netto – kun?"

"Yes, sir… This is Saito – niisan… I mean… Rock Man. My Navi…"

"Yes, sir… I hope I am not bothering."

"Not at all…"

Both Netto and Saito were standing inside of a small office: it had two visitors' chairs, a desk and a chair for the psychologist and a small window allowed sights into the street.

Yamada Endero was a man on his forties: he had traces of a beard and moustache and brown hair: his eyes' irises were brown as well and he had reading glasses on.

He wore a green wool sweater, brown pants and black shoes.

Both Netto and Saito sat down on the chairs as the psychologist did the same thing.

"So… Netto – kun. Your father told me you suffer nightmares… Can you try to think of what originated them?" Yamada asked.

"Eh… Truth is… We now think it's a nightmare, but we were convinced it was reality… We always felt the pain and other sensations we went through after we reappear at our home." Netto replied.

"We always seem to lose consciousness around 6 o'clock each afternoon and that's when those two sneak inside and they take us away with a machine they invented…" Saito added.

"Hmmm… Was there anything out of place?"

"I've noticed this morning… One of them always claimed he caught me as I cleansed the closet, but… I haven't cleansed it ever since Sunday." Saito admitted.

"True! I hadn't realized that." Netto frowned.

"Like if the conversation had been pre-programmed…?"

"Yeah. That's the best way to describe it, true… Wait… Maybe… It's like we were uploaded into a VR environment: it _looks___and _feels_ real, to some extent, but… You always know it _isn't_ real." Saito suggested.

"Like in that flying simulator back when the Control X incident in which we both piloted planes?" Netto recalled.

"Yeah. Something along those lines…"

"Hmm… VR… Could it be that they're somehow making you experience a VR simulation and they then somehow fake the symptoms?" Yamada suggested.

"Since all I feel can be programmed, it'd be logical on my case, but… Netto – kun is a human… You can't fake the sensations of pain and burnt." Saito argued.

"Well… You could always superficially look like it…" Yamada suggested while brining a hand to his chin.

"Guess so… But those only last some seconds… Mine are sequels which extend for hours…"

"… Huh… It'd seem that the only way of making it clear will be having someone be with us tomorrow afternoon to see if it's really a nightmare or if really happens…" Saito sighed in defeat.

"Sadly, that's the thing I can think of…" Yamada admitted.

"What a dilemma…!" Netto cursed while slapping his forehead.

"… Fake sensations…" Saito muttered like he'd had an idea.

"Do you know any way?" Yamada asked.

"… I think I do, but… I'd need to research on it for a while."

"Anyway… Everything will be clarified by tomorrow."

"Well then. Please come again tomorrow and we'll talk about it." Yamada told them.

"Roger." Both replied.

17:51 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Damn. We haven't made any progress. But it didn't happen today because we were travelling back here. Those two won't come out inside of the underground to pick us, anyway…"

"… Yeah. But I'm sure we're on the right track."

Netto was laying face-up on his bed while looking annoyed: Saito was sitting on a nearby chair and looked like he'd found a lead.

"How could they fake my sensations to make them continue after several hours have passed, anyway?"

"I'll look into a little something." Saito replied.

"Sure. Go ahead." Netto shrugged.

Saito turned the chair to face the computer and began typing into it to start a search for information.

_I've got a hunch!_

"… Hmmm… Obihiro is fond of such tactics… But I'm sure those two will end up catching up. Heh, heh, heh… And I know what that "backup plan" of yours is about, too… And I predict it won't work, either. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

Saruba was sitting on his throne and looking at a holographic screen displaying some data.

"But since he's made phenomenal progress on restoring that "Darkloid", then I don't really mind what _hobbies_ he has… We'll soon find out the true colors of that "Darkloid"… I'm eager to…" He smiled.

He then shut the screen down and walked down to stretch before he practiced some _kung – fu_ movements.

"Heh, heh, heh. Laugh while you can, Obihiro. You'll soon realize that your plans have more holes than cheese. I won't butt into them but you should've thought them twice… And since you've rushed it up then it's starting to get flaws." He muttered.

"Flawed Man came with a vengeance~!"

"Somari – chan…"

He sighed and spotted Somari standing atop the throne while grinning and having an electrical guitar on her hands.

"Time for some Crazy Mix!"

"How lovely." He grumbled.

"_Oh yeah_! _Let's fight! Martian_!" She improvised a song as she played with the strings.

"Martian… What Martian?" He looked skeptical.

"That Slur gal!"

"Slur wasn't from Mars! She was from a very remote planet hundreds of light-years away from Earth!" He protested.

"Who cares?"

"I do! Now please improve something with more logic to it!"

"_Oh yeah! Let's kiss! Logic Boy!"_

"Logic Boy… Grah. It's starting to drive me mad."

"_Oh yeah! Let's dance! Crazy Girl!"_

"That's your newest nickname or WHAT?"

"Tee, heh, heh, heh. Maybe yes and maybe not, Mr. Smith."

"Stop with the Mr. Smith joke already, will ya?" He protested.

"Wanna smell _that_?"

"No, thanks. I never invaded your privacy in these 10 years."

"Tee, heh, heh, heh. Neither did Solo. But maybe Sidier…"

"No way. The guy's too shy."

"_Oh yeah! To be continued! Let's go~! Bang!_"


	6. Chapter 5: Mental clash

**Chapter 5: Mental clash**

17:07 PM (Japan Time), Friday December the 9th…

"… Good afternoon, Netto – kun and Saito – kun."

"Good afternoon, Yamada – san."

Both sat on their seats and looked slightly troubled.

"So?" Yamada asked.

"Papa was with us from 5:45 to 6:15… At 5:58 we lost consciousness and, two minutes later, we began to convulse and behave like we were in the midst of the nightmare… We woke up at 6:15 after Papa tried all he knew to wake us up but without response. It isn't real yet it happens in this timed manner and we have sequels." Netto reported.

"But I think I now have one component of the enigma: your nanomachines, otouto." Saito let out.

"Nanomachines…? Oh! True…! I'd forgotten about them…! And since they're flowing inside of my bloodstream… They could use their chemicals to trigger sweat on us… But… How would they fake the pain and such…? "Pain" is something which the brain warns us about…" Netto realized before frowning.

"Could there be some device on your brain, Netto – kun?" Yamada suggested.

"Device… The chip implant…! We thought its programming had been erased, so… Someone must've reinstalled it and must be remotely accessing it to input the sensations on me… And since Saito – niisan has a program which is linked to it… They created a "closed feed" system in which we feed our experiences to each other…!" Netto exposed.

"So that's why we both lose consciousness at the same time…! And our "nightmare" is a pre-recorded video the sound of image and which are superimposed over our consciousness! The chip implant and the nanomachines take care of the rest and you transmit those to me as well, otouto!" Saito grasped.

"Whoa. Incredible…" Yamada looked surprised.

"The only question is… _Who_ is messing with our brains? I guess Oriol and Legato being ruled out is true. So we're left with Ivan and Sergei. They must be trying to provoke us into recklessly charging at them." Netto muttered.

"Yeah. That seems to be a very possible scenario."

"Let's go to the Science Labs: they could scan my brain and try to access the chip to stop its functioning and block any further remote accessing it once and for all… Thank you very much, Yamada – san. You gave us the hint to solve this." Netto suggested before addressing him.

"I'm glad I was able to help." Yamade smiled.

"Good afternoon."

_Not so fast, Hikari Netto!_ A voice rang out inside of his brain.

Saito gasped: he'd seemingly heard it due to the "closed feed" system installed on them.

_Ivan!_ Netto cursed.

_Wrong._ The voice replied.

_Obihiro…! You lowlife…!_ Netto hissed.

_Hmpf. That's a genius' name._ Obihiro replied.

_(Netto – kun! I'm trying to pick up the bandwidth by using the echo signal on me… Stall for time!) _Saito called out.

… _What… Ye are about to piss in your pants? _Obihiro mocked.

_You lowlife…! Show up: I'll fucking beat ya!_

_Hmpf! I can't risk it: I'm busy taking care of my little Bronze Sword organization, Hikari. _

_Bronze Sword! Golden Star, Silver Arrow, Bronze Sword…! What the hell is this? The Olympic Trio…?_ Netto grumbled.

_Olyimpic Trio…? Oh. I hadn't noticed. Heh, heh, heh. _Obihiro chuckled aloud.

_(I've got 90% of it decoded! Win me another few seconds, otouto! I'm almost there!_) Saito called out.

_Where are you lowlife at? _Netto demanded.

_Three Hills._ Obihiro shrugged.

_That doesn't answer it: there are hundreds of "Three Hills" around the planet!_

_Heh, heh, heh. Oh? Who knows? Maybe I'm in Poland?_ Obihiro sounded like he was shrugging.

_Poland! We're gonna search every stone and pebble there until we find you lowlife's foxhole!_

He suddenly noticed Saito dematerializing and returning inside of the Link PET: he made the "silence" sign.

_I guess Rock Man will be about to piss on his bodysuit, too… Heh, heh, heh, heh… _Obihiro taunted.

_You're the one who's gonna jump overboard and make company to the Red Sea Sharks!_ Netto menaced.

_(Use the Wi-Fi! It's a low-power network labeled "OSS_000"!_) Saito reported.

Netto automatically inputted the commands and Saito departed the Link PET to "travel" via the Wi – Fi towards a gateway: he entered it and landed inside of a small Cyber World: there was a power core and a control panel connected to it and data was being sent in and out at a constant rate.

_(Netto – kun! Program Advance!)_

_(But if you destroy the power core, then…!) _Netto argued.

_(I'll have enough time to come out of it!)_ Saito told him.

_(Roger!)_

_Oi! Are you paying attention, Hikari? _Obihiro called out.

_Game Over! _Netto smugly announced.

_What the hell!_

"Program Advance!" He announced aloud.

"Program Advance!"

"Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In!"

"Giga Cannon!"

Saito charged it up and aimed it at the power core: he narrowed his eyes and then released the blast which flew out and hit the power core: it blew up and the Cyber World quickly began to lost power.

"Hah!"

Saito immediately departed and reappeared inside of his Link PET.

"You did it, Saito – niisan! That jerk is gone!" Netto exclaimed.

"Huh… What was going on?" Yamada asked.

"The culprit was trying to scare me using the chip to communicate with me… But niisan got inside it and blew it from the inside. No – one will be tormenting me with it anymore." Netto announced.

"Good news: it turns out the videos were uploaded into the chip from Obihiro's computer, so… There are no copies left." Saito added.

"Heh, heh! Take that, Obihiro! You lose 10 to 0!" Netto closed the right fist and made a victorious gesture.

"Well then… Call me anytime you need help with something, Netto – kun and Saito – kun." Yamada invited.

"Thank you very much." Both replied.

_Our nightmare is over, niisan._

_Yeah. It's finally over._

09:19 AM (Barcelona Time)…

"… Shit! I knew it: their "link" was not designed to be picked up by the chip implant, so…! They could plot with it without me noticing! That Rock Man…! He got inside of the chip using the Wi – Fi!"

"Che. It'd seem we'll have to go with the backup plan."

Obihiro and Hunter Man were growling over their defeat.

"… Did you two say "Rock Man"?" A manly voice asked from behind Hunter Man: it sounded like the voice echoed inside of a helmet.

"Hmmm? Ah… Mr. Guest…" Hunter Man looked over his right shoulder.

"Eh… Do you feel better? I mean… Your memory files are just 77% restored… I thought you'd need the whole of them to remember what happened to you…" Obihiro told him.

"True. But the name "Rock Man" showed up on a file which you two have just restored to me… But I cannot remember anything else. I just seem to think he had some relevance in what happened to me…" The "guest" replied with a hint of doubt.

"But we're convinced the guy doesn't know you: he's obliged to report whom he battles and whom he defeats. We'd found your report if he'd battled you." Hunter Man argued.

"… Wait. What day is it today?" The guest suddenly asked.

"Huh? Eh… Friday December the 9th, 2006…" Hunter Man replied.

"… December…? 2006…? B-but… Then…?" The voice sounded confused and out of place.

"Calm down. You were deleted! It's obvious that you've been for some time if you're so nervous to find out how many months you've been floating around while being "dead"..." Hunter Man told him.

"… Ah… True… But… Yet… The date… Something about it… Is bothering me…! But I do not know what it is… I feel like it is troubling me for some reason or another…!" The voice trailed off.

"That's why you'd be better off while sitting back there and wait while we finish restoring your memory files…" Hunter Man insisted.

"… True, true… Eh… I am sorry for making a fool of myself… I… will sit there…" The guest slowly replied.

"Look: take it easy. It must be a shocking experience to die and be revived, but… We're data living beings: we can always be restored as long as you know how and you have enough data." Hunter Man tried to comfort him.

"… Of course… Data living being… I had forgotten…"

"You didn't "forget": you're missing memory files! You're not made of flesh and bone: you're cybernetic data! You live inside of the machines and not in the physical world!" Hunter Man scolded.

"Hunter Man: be considerate. He's confused. There's no need to act like he was a child." Obihiro told him.

"I apologize, Shun – sama."

"Hello there." Sidier announced as he appeared at Hunter Man's right.

"Our guest is still rather confused but he seems to think Rock Man had something to do with him… He got freaked out when we told him which day today was: I guess he's been "dead" for a good bunch of months. And he has trouble remembering he's a "Darkloid" to begin with. He seems to believe he was a being of the real world." Hunter Man summed up.

"Interesting… When you expect his files to finish restoring?" Sidier asked with a hint of intrigue.

"We hope to reach 93% by midnight… We can leave the process in auto-run during the night and he should be at 100% by the morning... We'll be out during a good deal of tomorrow, so… Could you please come here and keep him company?" Obihiro told him.

"That'll be no problem. Emperor S – sama granted me this same order before I came here. He tells you that your plan isn't a 100% reliable, though… He clocks it at 75% because there are many variables which could get out of control." Sidier announced.

"Uh! Then I better have an escape method ready… Thanks for the warning, though… I'll have it on mind." Obihiro gulped.

"Tomorrow… Tomorrow I will remember everything…" The voice muttered close by.

"Calm down and try to enter hibernation mode or shut down your consciousness… Else, the rush of memories will be too much for your system to handle. They need time to assemble themselves and assume their correct spots in your autonomous virtual memory." Hunter Man told him.

"… True… I shall… rest…" The voice slowly replied.

"Remember: we Net Navis also can switch off and "rest" when we want to, so…" Hunter Man insisted.

There was a slight sound and Hunter Man sighed in relief before he faced forward again.

"I'm off. I'll be back by the evening to stay here: I'll bring something to read."

"Roger."

"Well… 75%. Not bad… But no "variable" will save you from being buried two meters under the ground, Hikari… Go make company to the deceased Hikari Saito's cinders!" Obihiro icily muttered with a hint of murder on his voice.

"Rock Man… You will soon be dead." Hunter Man muttered.

"… Gospel Shuryou."

"Freeze Man. Report."

Freeze Man was kneeling in front of his superior's blurry image while inside of the snow-covered base: a tall diamond-like about five meters tall structure hovered five centimeters over the ground behind him and the Cyber World was filled with snow: a blizzard blew through its space but Freeze Man didn't mind that.

"Obihiro has created his own organization: Bronze Sword. But he seems to be acting alone insofar." He reported.

"Che. Golden, silver, bronze… What'll be next? Steel Fingers?" Gospel sarcastically cursed.

"I believe there's already a character nicknamed like that." Freeze Man didn't seem to catch the sarcasm.

"I was kidding. Anyway! I guess Rock Man will be on their sights, so… Go ahead and be near him to intervene. This could prove to be deadly, even, so…" Gospel commanded.

"Acknowledged."

The communications screen shut down and Freeze Man made a small and very well hidden grin.

"Hmpf. So that's how it is." He muttered.

Gospel paced around a largely empty room somewhere before stepping out into the balcony of an abandoned factory building.

"Obihiro and Hunter Man… I, _Forte_, won't let you lowlifes get away with what you did to my friends. If you come out, then… We'll catch you. And you'll be over. Ivan and Sergei will come out to rescue you two, so… We'll corner them and catch them as well. Thus, this conflict will end." Forte muttered aloud.

He came back inside and sat down on an armchair while closing the right fist and examining it.

"Hikari…! Saito. Be careful…!" He muttered.

"… I guess Obihiro will be coming out to face us. It's time to put an end to him." Netto was telling Saito while at home.

"Yeah. Ivan and Sergei will be next: if we can split them off and corner them then we may be able to catch them without fighting their secret form." Saito nodded in agreement.

"I know."

"Huh? The PET's ringing… Hello?"

"Yo~! _Shaky duo_! Raoul – sama's back with a comeback!" Raoul showed up onscreen with his disguise.

"Raoul – san…"

"And don't worry! I won't bring up any more taboos!"

"I know you didn't intend to. It was a slip." Netto shrugged.

"Ahem, ahem! Rattle a rattling rattle!"

"And how do you do that?" Saito skeptically asked.

"With a Zeus Hammer Battle Chip!"

"I doubt that. A lot."

"_Oh come on! _Be brighter than that Bright Man punk! Hah, hah! The guy didn't see it coming! Thunder Man spun the Scope Gun's shot around with his Elec Wheel and it hit the guy fully~! And the other three realized the thing was turning awry so they ran for their sanity~!" He grinned and extended his right hand while opening it fully.

"You mean for their hide…" Thunder Man grumbled.

"Who cares, _Masked Thunder_?"

"Not that again… I know it was a good idea to prove to them that their new-model PET didn't make them invincible but I think we overdid that somewhat…" Thunder Man groaned.

"But it was a good lesson anyway." Netto admitted.

"Yup. It helped us cool it down."

"Good! By the way: cold _ramen_ is on its way there."

"_Cold ramen_?" Netto looked totally skeptical.

"Yessir! And then _boiling sushi_ will fill the city!"

"_Boiling sushi_… Oh come on." Thunder Man groaned.

"Yo~! _Little brother_! _I'm back_!"

"Whoa! Raoul! Don't suddenly ring me like that!" Enzan protested as his face appeared on the right side of the screen.

"Thunder Man… Can't you really stop the guy?" Blue sighed.

"Oi~! A raid!"

"_WHAT_! _Run for it, my chap_!"

Raoul seemingly ran off and dropped the PET on a desk, making its camera stare at the bleak ceiling: they heard a door slamming shut and hurried footsteps fading away.

"Phew. It worked. He'll run until he tires and then realizes he got tricked by me… He won't care it because he knows I'm the one snapping him outta his "disco" mood…" Thunder Man sighed.

"Phew." The four of them sighed in relief.

"The Undead Struggle~!" Raoul yelled from the street.

"What the heck is that?" Enzan asked.

"A new horror film which is the rage…" Thunder Man admitted.

"I didn't think Raoul liked horror films." Netto was surprised.

"Huh? Ah! Netto! So he called you firstly and then made me join the chatter?" Enzan realized he was there.

"Yeah. In a nutshell." Netto summed up.

"Alright. I'm off to working… Did you solve that trouble?"

"We did. It was a very dire thing, though."

"Sorry I wasn't of help…"

"Don't mind it, Enzan. Now I wanna rest: this week's been a Hell."

"See you around."

_Obihiro… We'll catch you this time around! Get ready!_


	7. Chapter 6: Showdown

**Chapter 6: Showdown**

19:39 PM (Japan Time), Saturday December the 10th…

"… Hum, hum, hum!"

The sun was starting to set under the horizon: Netto came out of his house while closing the door and looked around the area: he spotted Misaki's car parked there.

"Misaki – san! I thought Yuriko was coming…" Netto frowned.

"Sorry. She got a burst wheel. I'll be driving you to the area where we'll pay the ambush. We've been tipped off that the target will show up there and the info was reliable." Misaki replied with a smile.

"Good. Then please drive me there. It's time to end this." Netto nodded in agreement.

He climbed into the passenger seat and put on the seat belt as Misaki ignited the car and it departed.

"Let's go."

"Yup!"

Yuriko's open yellow car came into the area a few seconds later.

"Isn't that Detective Misaki's car…? Wasn't I supposed to pick Netto up tonight?" She frowned.

"Shah, shah, shah! Maybe there was a misunderstanding, but… The guy is heading to the agree ambush site, so… Let's follow 'im."

"Fine." She muttered.

She began to follow Misaki's car: Netto noticed it while looking at the side mirror and he frowned.

"Didn't you say Yuriko got a burst wheel?"

"Oh? I thought she said that… Maybe she forgot to say she was having the wheel be changed at the gas station…" Misaki frowned as well.

"Oh. True, true." Netto nodded in agreement.

"… Here!"

Misaki's car entered a part of the port area filled with containers on the right side and having the sea on the left side: he stopped in the middle and made a U – turn to make the car face the way they'd come.

"We need to wait for the rest of the units before heading to the trap spot… It's further in." Misaki announced.

Yuriko's car parked in front of Misaki's and she stepped out while taking out the sunglasses: Misaki climbed out of his car and walked over to her with a surprised look.

"Detective Misaki. What does this mean? I was supposed to escort Netto to the spot." Yuriko questioned.

"But didn't you call me to tell me your wheel had burst?" Misaki asked while frowning.

"No! We didn't." Needle Man corrected.

"Then…".

"Maybe it was a trap… Your car… Was it on the Net Police HQ?" Yuriko asked.

"Yeah. And the parking has CCTV cameras, too, so… They'd detected anyone suspicious coming in or out."

"Does it have a good firewall?" Yuriko questioned.

"Dunno… Didn't you get in back when you were being forced by Twilight to kill your sister?"

"True. I did get in but I didn't try the Cyber World because I _didn't_ have my PET back then."

"Couldn't we solve this later? We're gonna be late for the strategy and the target might slip away."

"Do you want noodles with Tabasco?" Yuriko suddenly asked him.

"Noodles with Tabasco…? Who came up with that…? They've gotta be for masochists who love spicy things…" Misaki looked surprised.

"… Who was the author of the serial bank data destruction incidents at DS Town back in Saturday August the 29th, 2005?"

"Huh… "Asteroid" Sword Man?"

"… Huh! You're not Detective Misaki! One: you didn't know tonight's call code… And second: Detective Misaki _was_ the one who investigated those incidents because "Asteroid" _Bomber Man_'s Operator was hiding on the DS Town hospital where he was healing at!" Yuriko announced as she suddenly took out a gun and aimed at Misaki.

"Che." He made a different voice.

"So? Are you a grunt of Bronze Sword?"

"Grunt? Me? I'm the founder!" He replied.

"What!" Yuriko gasped.

The imposter's body began to glow with a white light and his body seemed to shrink before giving way to Obihiro Shun.

"Hmpf!"

"Obihiro!"

Netto clenched his teeth inside of the car and tried to come out, but it was locked and he was unable to open it up.

"Hunter Man! Keep Hikari at bay. I'll deal with this woman." Obihiro called out through his Link PET.

"Roger."

Yuriko aimed the gun at him: he suddenly took out a service revolver but Yuriko didn't hesitate and shot it off his hand.

"You were rather silly coming out like that."

"Hmpf. I wonder about that…" Obihiro grinned.

A person lying on top of a container aimed a sniper rifle and shot.

BANG!

"Uack!"

The shot hit Yuriko's left side, and she lost her balance: she hit the left side of the stolen car and slid down: Netto looked at the blood trail with horror and banged against the window in vain.

"_Grazie, Signore Pistola!_" Obihiro shouted to someone out of sight.

("Thank you, Mr. Pistola!")

He walked over to Yuriko and picked up her gun.

"_E non matare questa dònna en questo momento. Io tenere certa pregunta para questa dònna."_

("Don't kill this woman yet. I've got some questions for her.")

He cocked Yuriko's gun and aimed at her.

"Heh, heh, heh. "Divide and conquer"… This meeting spot… I picked it, ya see! This was a death trap from the very start and intended for Hikari over there. I know Ivan and Sergei want them out of the way and this way I'll prove that Bronze Sword ain't a joke." Obihiro grinned.

"W-what? T-then… Who shot me…?" Yuriko gasped.

"Mr. Pistola is a well – know assassin in Piamonte, Italy. I tracked him down and paid him a good sum to come here and be part of this trap. His Navi, Gun Man, is an expert on all sorts of weaponry."

"Grah…" She hissed in pain.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! This time you're gonna die for real, Duo's "Probe"! Fare…!" Obihiro announced.

DZING!

A PET flew out of the car while breaking the window and hitting the gun Obihiro was holding.

"What!"

The gun was propelled into the ground some meters away and Obihiro gasped.

"Y-you lowlife…!" Hunter Man cursed.

The car's door opened and Netto climbed out.

"A PET…? No way…! You… You're not Hikari! He wouldn't waste a PET like that…!"

"Hmpf. I suspected this would end up happening: we saw the footage you cut off the basement CCTV cameras!" "Netto" replied.

He tugged off his face to reveal Enzan's one under the mask: he threw it into the passenger seat while some sounds rang out from Obihiro's own Link PET.

"Ijuuin Enzan!"

"Blues!" Hunter Man cursed.

"Hmpf. This is as far as you lowlife come." Blues announced.

"Ijuuin? What…?" Yuriko was baffled as well.

Enzan quickly ran towards Obihiro and grabbed him by the neck using his right hand: he then lifted him and placed him at an angle in which he was in the middle of the sniper's field of view.

"I don't think your assassin will dare to shoot if you're in the middle of his sight."

The mercenary made a grimace and seemed to be hesitating.

"Can you stand up? Yuriko?"

"Ack! I think… that in a while…"

They suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of rollerblades skating across the concrete ground.

"Damn!" Enzan cursed.

Netto suddenly braked and came into the area while panting and having a grimace on his face.

"Netto…!" Enzan gasped.

"What!" Blues gasped.

_I called him to the Net Police HQ and then knocked him from behind while I shut down his Link PET… Blues had to password-lock its activation, too… I had to close Netto in the basement recycle room because I couldn't let him come out like that: he would die! I then put on this disguise I'd come up with and suspected he'd try to take Detective Misaki's spot because he'd approach him in a friendly manner to then ruthlessly assassinate him in this same spot…! How did he escape…? Oh! He must've used one of the PCs to decode the password…!_ Enzan guessed.

"… Netto! You idiot! Are you trying to suicide? Run! Run away!" Enzan yelled at him.

"Saito! Run!" Blues called out.

Obihiro took out a taser and hit Enzan with it to everyone's surprise.

"Uak!"

He jumped out of Enzan's grasp as he collapsed inside of the car: his upper body was lying in two seats at the same time: Obihiro then landed on the ground while smiling.

"Shotgun Blast!"

"Groa~h!"

Hunter Man had taken profit of Blues' distraction to place the shotgun on his body and shoot to leave Blues out of league.

"Good night, Ijuuin… And…" Obihiro began saying.

He took out a spare gun from his top's pocket.

"Welcome, Hikari!"

He aimed the gun at him.

"Obihiro… What you did to me is unforgivable! This!"

Netto tugged his right sleeve backwards: he revealed a large scar on his right arm spanning from under the shoulder until the wrist.

"Hmpf. Yeah. A good shot." Obihiro put up a smug smile.

"You lowlife…!" Netto cursed.

Saito suddenly materialized (sporting the helmet) and aimed his Rock Buster at Obihiro.

"Hmpf!"

He merely snapped his fingers and Hunter Man materialized while aiming his shotgun's laser at Saito's chest emblem while smiling.

"Hmpf. Rock Man. You lowlife want to finally die as well, it'd seem." He taunted.

"Hmpf. Who knows?" He icily replied.

Tension filled the air as Yuriko tried to wake Enzan up: the trunk compartment opened a bit.

"Say your prayers, Hikari. You'll soon be dead." Obihiro announced as he slowly began to pull the trigger.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh." Hunter Man chuckled.

"Hmpf." Saito was unimpressed.

"That's what you think." Netto muttered as he tensed his body.

The trunk opened fully and someone jumped out of it and into the top of the car.

"Who the…?" Obihiro cursed.

"What?" Yuriko was also surprised.

"Netto!"

"Wha? Meiru – chan!"

Meiru skidded down the car as the assassin tried to hit her: Saito had to dodge as Hunter Man tried to shoot at him.

"_E non sparare!_" Obihiro shouted at the man.

("Don't shoot!")

Netto was still frozen in place while Meiru ran towards him.

"_E io decire: non sparare!_"

("I said: don't shoot!")

Meiru jumped towards Netto, hugged him, and they fell to the ground while skidding a bit.

"_Parare! Corpo di baco!__"_

("Stop already! Damn it!")

Obihiro shot his gun towards the mercenary while failing on purpose and he understood the message: he then aimed towards Meiru, who was hugging Netto.

"Sakurai. Let go of Hikari. You heard him. He came to die." He ordered.

"No! I won't!" She replied.

"Meiru – chan! Don't get in my way!" Netto scowled.

"Saito - kun! Why don't you stop him?" Roll asked Saito.

"I'm busy trying to deal with this jerk! Charge Shot!" Saito replied with some annoyance.

"Huh! Shotgun…!"

The Charge Shot was quicker and hit Hunter Man's chest emblem: his body frizzled and he was forced to dematerialize.

"Gruh!"

Obihiro, however, shot some shots at Saito: he used his forearms to shield himself and then aimed the Rock Buster at him.

"Che! Very well, then!" Obihiro cursed.

He suddenly aimed towards Meiru.

"Dare to move, Rock Man, this woman goes to Hell!" He threatened.

"You…!" Saito cursed.

BANG!

A shot grazed Obihiro's right shoulder.

"Ugh!"

He hissed and turned to see Yuriko: she'd somehow crawled to sit in front of a container.

"What?" He asked, surprised.

"Huff, huff… You said it: I'm one of Duo's "Probes". I have superior physical strength! Drop the gun or the next time I'm gonna aim for your legs!" She exclaimed between gasps.

Obihiro stood still while glancing at Yuriko over his shoulder.

"_Thank you_, Yuriko!" Saito smiled.

He then crouched to tend at Netto and Meiru.

"Are you two alright?" He asked.

"Yeah… Somehow…" Netto blushed.

"Huh! This doesn't mean anything, mind ya!" Meiru told him.

"Gues you are…" Saito smiled.

KA-CHACK

They suddenly heard a shot of a gun being cocked.

"Is that a pump shotgun?" Yuriko recognized it.

"Crap." Saito cursed.

"_Bravo, Signore Pistola! __Dividire e vincere!_" Obihiro exclaimed.

("Bravo, Mr. Pistola! Divide and conquer!")

Saito aimed the Rock Buster at an alley between containers: some steps could be heard coming out from it.

_The mercenary…! He must want to target Yuriko and allow Obihiro to try to attack us! _He made a grimace.

"Hah, hah… _Bene, Signore Pistola, bene… E usare quésto arma en quésto dònna." _

("Good, Mr. Pistola, good… Use this weapon on this woman.")

Obihiro closed his eyes because of the pain of his wound and gave his back to Yuriko while grinning.

"Oh! That guy was the famous _Signore_ Pistola?" A voice asked in a slightly amused tone.

Obihiro gasped and looked nervous while Saito frowned.

_Don't I know that voice from somewhere?_

"He carried a PSG – 1 sniper rifle, a pump shotgun and four Beretta handguns…" The voice kept on saying.

_Whoa! What an arsenal!_

Dark Miyabi walked out of the alley while carrying the mentioned weapons.

"Anyone would think he was either a collector or a former Mafia assassin..." He calmly announced.

"Dark Miyabi!" Obihiro cursed.

"Miyabi! What are you…?" Yuriko asked him while looking at him: he was standing at her right.

"Miyabi!" Saito sighed in relief.

"But the only thing he didn't have in his collection was a bruise on the head. I think he'll wake up painfully."

Obihiro looked towards the shape of the man, which was immobile, and made a grimace.

"Oh… By the way… Pistola is Gun… Gun and Gun Man. Quite the pun! Eh, Rusted Medal?" He suddenly sounded amused.

"What Rusted Medal?" Obihiro asked, annoyed.

"That's a little nickname I made for you. Since all the Net Mafias we've recently faced had a name of one type of Olympic medal, I thought I could say that there is a fourth category for those who do not classify… a Rusted Medal." Miyabi explained in a rather sarcastic tone of voice.

"Heh!" Netto grinned.

"Take that!" Meiru added.

"Your name sucks." Saito added.

"Yeah…!" Yuriko grinned.

Obihiro looked furious and he aimed his gun towards Dark Miyabi: he quickly shot him with the shotgun although the force of the blast was absorbed by a strange blue round shield with runes engraved on the rim which popped out of nowhere and made a CLANG sound: the force did propel Obihiro to the ground, though.

"An energy shield… But that won't protect the guy forever! Give it up, you rascal! You're over!" Saito muttered before he aimed at him.

Obihiro cursed his breath and jumped inside of his car: he dragged Enzan, who was half – inside, inside of it and closed the door.

"Damn! That guy's on the way! I can't shoot: I might hit him!" Miyabi cursed.

"Enzan!" Saito gasped.

"Damn! He took Enzan hostage!" Netto cursed.

"The creep…!" Meiru cursed.

"Crap." Yuriko cursed.

Obihiro shot towards Miyabi: he shot back and broke the other side window: Obihiro had to crouch in order to avoid being hit by the blast.

"Hunter Man! We're leaving!" He yelled.

"Roger, Shun – sama!"

The car sped away, barely dodging running down Netto and Meiru.

"Savage~!" Meiru yelled.

"Don't run away!" Netto cursed.

"You…!" Saito yelled.

Obihiro aimed backwards with the gun and hit one of Yuriko's car wheels and bursting the pneumatic.

"Hum! Not bad for an _amateur_!" Miyabi commented.

"Miyabi! Instead of praising him… Do _something_!" Yuriko insisted with some annoyance on her voice.

"You wouldn't have a spare tire, by any chance, right?" He asked in a sarcastic manner.

"Ack!" She cursed.

Both Netto and Meiru stood up and shook the dust off them while sighing in relief as Saito helped Yuriko stand up.

"Thanks, Saito… I'll need a while to heal…" She muttered.

"Don't push it, Yuriko." Needle Man warned.

"That pitiful one picked the shortest road to its own pitiful rat's hole, it'd seem." Shadow Man announced.

"Hum. At least it's not about the _Naraku_." Miyabi muttered.

"Uh… Unh…" Someone muttered.

They spotted the mercenary waking up.

"Ah! No!"

Miyabi took out a metal sphere and threw it towards the mercenary: a gray smoke surrounded him and he remained immobile.

"Hmpf. Another item from my _ninja collection_… I'm going to secure this individual." Miyabi announced.

He jumped over there and handcuffed him while three police cars headed over there.

"Huff. I guess we all need to explain what happened to Commissioner Kifune… But what'll happen to Enzan?" Saito muttered.

"Heh. He surely has a B Plan." Netto grinned.

"Yeah… I wouldn't be surprised." Meiru giggled.

"They always have two aces under their sleeves!" Roll giggled.

"Shah, shah, shah! Hmpf! That guy is so cheap… I'll slice 'im up next time around!" Needle Man added.

"… Huff, huff… Grah… Ack…"

Obihiro was writing an SMS using a prepayment cell phone inside the car.

"Io encontrare problema. Venire a casa. Nuovo idea. Venire presto. Capo."

("I ran into trouble. Come home. New plan. Come ASAP. Boss.")

Obihiro sighed in relief and eyed Enzan, who was lying with his back into two of the seats.

"What should I do with this guy…? Hmmm?"

Obihiro noticed a sound: he rummaged Enzan's shorts' right pocket and found a PET which was on recording mode.

_Don't tell me it recorded the sounds I made with the phone! _

He aimed his gun at it, but, at that moment, Enzan's hand grabbed his wrist.

"That's a bad idea, Obihiro. I remember the sounds you made when inputting the phone number."

"Gruh!"

"We'll then search your own Link PET for the answer. A team is on its way here guided my own PET's GPS!" Enzan grinned.

"Ijuuin! You lowlife…" Obihiro hissed.

"Hmpf. Game Over." Blues announced.

"Shit. This guy can still move…!" Hunter Man cursed.

"So? Where in Poland is Three Hills at?"

"Ask Laika: his country was the one who invaded it back in 1939 as part of their agreement with Germany!" Obihiro shot back.

Obihiro kicked him in the stomach and picked the original PET from his vest pocket: he shut it down.

"Good night!"

He hit him on the back of the head with the gun. He shot the remaining bullets to the empty PET and to his cell phone.

"Hmpf. Time to run. Emperor S – sama was right! There were a lot of "unknown variables"." He muttered.

"Roger."

Obihiro opened the door and ran into the forest while heading south: he was always looking over his right shoulder to ensure he wasn't being chased.

"Since the ground is cold, my imprints will quickly fade… There'll be no way for them to know what direction I picked!" He muttered.

"Heh, heh, heh. Shun – sama is a genius when it comes to vanishing in front of their noses." Hunter Man commented.

"Yeah… I'm too smart for them!"

"Glory to Bronze Sword!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

13:33 PM (Barcelona Time)…

"… Man! I'm beaten."

"You're back."

Obihiro sat down on his refuge's sofa while looking exhausted and Sidier appeared on the laptop's screen.

"So?" Hunter Man asked.

"98%... It's still working on it. I gave them a break to give our guest some time to compile and structure their memory files. But they claims Rock Man was the one who brought him down in June the 22nd." Sidier announced.

"Hmmm… Well. Twilight died in May… And Golden Star showed up on July, so… It'd seem we skipped the June report altogether…" Obihiro shrugged.

"No. You didn't. That's the puzzling part. Emperor S – sama hijacked a Police Navi and had it look it up: there was nothing out of the ordinary in Hikari's June file." Sidier corrected.

"What the heck… They forgot to write it down or it's labeled as top secret so they didn't store it with the others?"

"Wrong. His Grace didn't find any entry there. Anything at all."

"Man. He claims Rock Man beat him yet there's no report of that anywhere? There were tons of reports of the "Darkloids", "Asteroids" and "Zoanoroids"!" Obihiro frowned and looked somewhat dizzy.

"And I insist: there wasn't such a report!"

"Oi, oi. Keep it down, Sidier. We don't want to wake our guest up!" Hunter Man told him.

"Che."

"In any case… I've run out of ideas. Maybe I'll have to unleash those Giant Viruses to make them sweat, after all." Obihiro admitted.

"Guess so."

"But we'd like to have Emperor S – sama's approval for that… Could you establish communication with him?" Hunter Man told him.

"Sure." Sidier calmly replied.

He took out what looked like a buster colored purple and with some silver patterns drawn into it: he shot a purple – colored beam at the Time Space gateway and it changed into the bubble.

"I've heard your talk. You have my go – ahead to deploy the Giant Viruses but make sure to cover you trails." Saruba told them.

"Thank you very much." Obihiro and Hunter Man replied.

"It's nothing. Sidier… Wait there until the restoration is complete. Then we will hear his tale. I looked again but there was no such register at all… This is turning confusing." Saruba announced with a hint of confusion.

"This is starting to become a growing enigma, really… Hikari may forget about it, but Rock Man would insist that they had to write a report about it… We're stuck until the guy recovers his memories." Obihiro sighed in defeat and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. We are."

"Then check out a FAQ / Walk-through, _dear_." Somari joked.

"Very original." He drily replied.

"Game FAQs is the best site ever: there are reviews too!"

"I knew that: I don't tire of checking it out. I'm checking out a guide for _The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess_, which came out 8 days ago. It's a cool game, yeah." Saruba admitted.

"Tee, heh, heh, heh. And this time Zelda is not a powerless princess: she did fight the invaders but had to surrender. It's an improvement!"

"Sure it is. Anyway… We're stuck, yeah. We have to wait."

"Wait for me to call a legged armored catastrophe? Tee, heh, heh!"

"Oh come on! I can't stand this anymore…!"


	8. Chapter 7: Mystery

**Chapter 7: Mistery**

08:13 AM (Japan Time), Sunday December the 11th…

"… So… Hikari Netto and his companion are fine?"

"They are."

Miyabi was speaking with Commissioner Kifune.

"Well. Sakurai – kun had come because she wanted to speak with Misaki – kun… She spotted him going into the parking and followed, but then she witnessed how Hunter Man got into the car, so she guessed what Obihiro was up to. She took advantage of his distraction to creep into the trunk and hide there." Kifune explained.

"Hum. I see. Ijuuin almost cornered the guy but he gave him the slip… A Net Police team is searching the surroundings of the car trying to guess where he ran off to…" Miyabi brought a hand to his chin.

"We've got one slight problem: the mercenary, Maximo Pistola, won't speak anything else than Italian. We tried English but he only knows four or five words."

"I know Italian. And Shadow Man can give me a hand translating." Miyabi announced.

"Hmmm… A lapdog of the Grim Reaper… It might be hard to handle, even." Shadow Man muttered.

"Let's go see him."

"Come this way."

They entered a room where the mercenary (the man who'd been in a plan a few days ago), handcuffed, was sitting on a chair place in front of a portable table: Dark Miyabi sat down on a chair in front of him.

"_Parlare__."_ He commanded.

("Speak.")

"_Tu sere Italiano__?"_ The guy raised an eyebrow in surprise.

("You're an Italian?")

"_Antico mercenario__…"_ Miyabi merely replied.

("Former mercenary...")

"_Non paresere Italiano..__."_ The guy frowned.

("You don't like an Italian.")

"… _Dove estare quello uomo que dare la pasta a ti? El uomo di la otra notte..._"

("Where's the guy who paid you? The guy from last night...")

"_Io solo conocere un uomo por telefono! Si nombre sere Luigiano di Milano! Quello uomo dare la pasta a mi!_"

("I only met one man via the phone! His name is Luigiano from Milano! He gave me the money!")

"… _Io capire. Non sabere il cognome di quello Luigiano di Milano?_"

("I understand. You don't the surname of that Luigiano from Milano?")

"_No!"_ The guy hissed.

"_Tu estare di verita disposto a disparare a quello ragazzo?_"

("Where you really disposed to shoot that boy?")

"_E io acere me ofizio!_"

("I'm only doing my job!")

Miyabi yanked him from the neck and lifted him while he directed one of his deadly glares at him.

"_Fanatico assassino...! Matare a un uomo adulto sere una cosa. Matare a un ragazzo sere immorale!" _

("You fanatic assassin... Killing an adult is one thing. Killing a boy is immoral!")

"_Pero la pasta…!"_

("But the money…!")

"_Tu anare a la prizione di Italia. E non sortire mai."_

("You'll go to a jail in Italy. And you won't ever come out.")

Miyabi let go of him and walked out of the room.

"How was it like?" Commissioner Kifune asked.

"He was hired via the phone. The one that hired him went by the name of Luigiano from Milano. But it may be an alias Obihiro made up." Miyabi summed up.

"What happened in there? You seemed to have gotten into a nasty discussion."

"He admits he wouldn't have cared shooting either Hikari Netto or that girl. He'd do it for the money: a fanatic assassin." Miyabi narrowed his eyes.

"… Hum! We're already arranging with the Interpol for his extradition to Italy."

"… Excellent. I'll go and have a look around the area Obihiro vanished from… Although… I doubt finding anything."

"Good. Have a good morning."

Miyabi began to walk down the corridor while Shadow Man looked calm and like he was thinking of something.

"Shadow Man. What kind of joke have you designed with this time around?" Miyabi asked with a hint of suspicion.

"Hmmm… Who knows? Maybe I was gonna say that the man reeked of Grim Reaper's breath?"

"Navis can't smell… And I admit I was going to do it for money, but I realized it was pointless. Maybe Hikari _is_ a Lord's container, after all. Luck seems to favor him wherever he goes to… And I guess I'm gonna get another curry discount check from out his pockets like if I was a magician."

"Magician… Very funny, Miyabi." Shadow Man drily replied.

"But I guess the Bronze Sword guys must be feeling the effects of your _ninja_ curse on them. Isn't that right?" Miyabi smiled.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Yeah… Obihiro will get the flu and will end up bedridden for a whole week." Shadow Man chuckled.

"… So! Do you have any ideas?"

"… I do."

Sidier was speaking with the "guest": they were hidden in an unlit corner and only a pale blue glow could be seen.

"A weapon… You guys could build a new weapon." The "guest" suggested with a hint of intrigue.

"A weapon… Can you be a bit more specific?" Sidier asked.

"Sure. A machine with onboard AI which will allow it to analyze the combat patterns of a foe and then strike back… Are you getting the idea by now?" The guest replied.

"Hmmm… Emperor S – sama. What do thou think about it?" Sidier asked via the inactive Time Space gateway.

"It sounds interesting!" Saruba replied.

"A weapon capable of fighting back any adversary… It sounds like a new revolution on the field!" Somari sounded eager.

"Grave Joker DS would love to have one of those." Solo added.

"Well! It'd seem that there is a general consensus… But wait for some hours for Obihiro and Hunter Man to wake up and then we'll handle the details… Deal?" Sidier told him.

"Gladly… By the way… Did you still find no record of me?"

"No. There wasn't anything on June the 22nd. Zero." Sidier replied.

"Zero…? Was not there a Zero Virus?" The voice asked.

"Sure. The guy died in February but there are some remains left out there which have been used…" Sidier explained.

"… Hmmm… Something about it looks out of place. I believe I can light up this mystery by researching into something." The voice muttered.

"… Phew! We should be glad we came out of that in one piece… There was an assassin there!"

"Yeah… Guess we really should've stayed at the basement…"

Netto and Saito were talking inside of their bedroom: Netto was sitting on the bed while Saito had picked a chair.

"But, really… Meiru – chan used that moment to slip a note into me which read "I'm watching you"… She's gotten a weird mood but it's no wonder given what happened to her." Netto rolled his eyes.

"Guess it's the typical girl paranoia… I just hope she doesn't try to attack Meddy – chan out of jealousy." Saito sighed as well.

"I dunno why but I felt weird back there." Netto blushed.

"… I can guess that… Meiru – chan had hugged you before but that was before you two began puberty… Now you feel different at it."

DING DONG!

"Oh! Welcome, Enzan – kun." Haruka could be heard greeting.

"Good morning… I hope I'm not bothering." Enzan replied.

"Not at all… Please come in."

"Thank you very much."

They heard Enzan climb up the stairs and he knocked on the closed bedroom door.

"Come in." Netto invited.

Enzan stepped in while looking a bit tired and sat down on the chair since Saito was now sitting at Netto's right.

"Good morning…" Enzan barely repressed a yawn.

"So?" Netto calmly asked.

"Nothing. We searched the whole forest in a 1 kilometer radius… There's a cliff overseeing a small lake 300 meters south but it was obvious he hadn't gone in that direction…"

"We couldn't pick any footprints or heat signatures, either… I guess he had a "Converter" or that machine ready." Blues added.

"Man. We're stuck." Saito sighed in defeat.

"Yeah… By the way… Could we do our usual stuff today? You cancelled Wednesday's one…"

"Sure. Let's lower the blinders." Netto smiled.

"I'll be going on ahead. _Good luck_, otouto." Saito told him.

He picked Enzan's PET and aimed it at the computer: the infrared laser came out and Blues transferred there: Saito then dematerialized and did the same thing.

"Bye!"

Netto lowered the blinders and closed the door before he and Enzan began to undress and stopped once they were left on their boxers: Netto passed his hands down Enzan's sides and crouched as he grabbed the boxers and gently pulled them down to reveal Enzan's slightly aroused cock.

"Heh, heh! Ya get aroused easily, Enzan." Netto chuckled.

"Guess so!"

Netto stood up and Enzan did the same thing: Netto's cock looked slightly larger than his: Enzan grinned and teased Netto's balls by rubbing his fingers around them.

"You like teasing, eh, Enzan?"

"Who knows?"

"I can see you're eager to go first, so… Go for it."

"Heh, heh. Let's go."

"… I have a question…"

"Tell us."

Sidier was still speaking with the "guest" in the meantime.

"Eh… I read that the "Professor" was aiming to regenerate something named "Super Cybeast Greizer"… But… I though there were _two_ "Cybeasts" to begin with it…" The guest told Sidier.

"True. There were: "Greiga" and "Falzer". "Greizer" was the result of Greiga defeating Falzer and absorbing its data on the Cybeast War's climax… Beyondard's Wily then used the Synchronizer's power to install his electronic consciousness into it. However… The same "Synchronizer" granted the power to Hikari and Rock Man to defeat it. The "Professor" had managed to begin regeneration before he was forced to wake it up in a premature manner: it went into a rampage across Internet City and was then deleted by Rock Man." Sidier explained.

"… "Beyondard"…? "Synchronizer"…? But… Did not the "Professor" attempt to use the fake "Zero Virus Vaccine" to gain money to rebuild the "Dream Virus" after the fall of the "WWW"…?" The guest sounded confused.

"You…. Where were you back in December and January? By the time that happened, you were still alive!" Sidier looked somewhat confused and annoyed.

"Cool it down, Sidier." Saruba commanded.

"Yes, my Lord." He bowed.

"… I am confused. I thought it was the year 2011 and I am being told it is 2006… The events do not match…" The voice muttered.

"What the… Is there a bug in your memory files or what?" Sidier looked exasperated.

"Sidier!" Saruba scolded.

"I deeply apologize, my Lord! But… I am getting a headache, truth to be spoken!" He quickly kneeled and bowed.

"And we are. But don't make a scapegoat out of the guy." Saruba replied with a hint of annoyance.

"Yes, sir… I shall behave myself."

"To begin with… Why did you say "the Wily of Beyondard"? Was there not just _one_ Doctor Wily?" The guest asked.

"… "Beyondard" is a "parallel world"… And given how persons there resemble the ones in Earth then we end up naming them "Beyondard" Someone... There's no big deal. Did that help you?" Sidier told him with a shrug of the shoulders.

"… A "Parallel world", you say… I see…! So that it is what it is happening in here…! Then…! That tear in Time Space which opened as I was being destroyed was…! I have come to… to a parallel Universe!" The guest gasped.

"WHA~T?" The four of them asked.

"It makes sense…! Why there are similar characters and yet the events are wholly different…! This must be the answer!"

"Whoa." The four of them whistled in surprise.

"… I suppose I need to learn everything from the start, then… Could you grant me a chronology of events?" The figure requested.

"Hmmm… It might take a while to compile, but… We will." Saruba replied after thinking about it.

"I will say thanks. I need to adapt myself to this world." The figure thanked them.

"It's nothing. And we'll like to hear to how things happened in your "Universe"... It might be interesting to draw comparisons…"

"And it'll be interesting to pull some ears." Somari giggled.

"Oi, oi…! Not again…!" Solo sounded nervous.

"Man." Sidier rolled his eyes.

"… Heh… You can't get enough, can you, Enzan?"

"Who knows?"

Enzan was on top of Netto: Netto was facing down and was leaning his head on the pillow as Enzan was atop him and teasing his nipples: both of them were covered by the sheets around the waist and below.

"Your cock into my insides feels good 'cause it's a bit smaller than mine, after all… Heh, heh, heh." Netto chuckled.

"Yeah. And I like teasing your nipples because I know they're very sensitive."

"I'm getting hard again, even… Why don't we swap places?" Netto suggested.

"Sure."

They turned around and then switched positions: Enzan remained face-up on the bed while Netto loomed over him.

"Heh, ehh!"

He put one finger into Enzan's insides and massaged around until it opened up a bit: he did the same with another two fingers and observed how Enzan was starting to like this given his face.

"Enzan. Here comes the real stuff."

"Come." Enzan invited.

Netto rubbed his cock to get it hard and began to slide it inside of Enzan's awaiting insides: he stopped half-way in to give Enzan time to get used to the feeling.

"Come deeper in…!" Enzan told him.

"Heh, heh. Here it comes!" Netto chuckled.

He entered fully and soon began pushing in and pulling out while teasing Enzan's balls with his fingers: he also pinched the nipples and slowly pulled at them while Enzan moaned from the pleasure.

"… Oh… _Buruusu_…"

"Heh, heh. I know you love this."

"How couldn't I?"

Saito was being slowly lifted up and he then slid down while sitting on Blues' lap and having Blues' cock inside of him.

"Oh…!"

He looked ecstatic as Blues teased him by playing with his nipples: Saito used his hips to lift up and he then fell down in a quick manner given how the cock was already lubricated with pre – cum: Saito was also playing with his cock and balls in the meanwhile.

"Oh… _Buruusu_… Tease me more…! Please…!" Saito begged.

"Heh, heh. I can see you're in the mood today." Blues chuckled.

He softly pulled Saito's nipples at different lengths and different strengths as he softly licked his neck: Saito's moans became louder and he sounded ecstatic.

"I'm… going off…!" He warned.

He cried as he released three or four vigorous spurts of the white liquid which then filled his mouth.

"Heh!" Blues grinned.

His inner muscles gripped Blues' cock and he also went off: he overfilled Saito's insides some of it slid down his cock: Saito had arched his body backwards and looked ecstatic while Blues panted and closed his arms around his waist to stop him from falling.

"Ah… I needed it…I wanted to… release all of my anxiety and worries…"

"I'm glad of hearing that, Saito." Blues smiled at him.

"Ah… _Buruusu_… I'm so glad to have you as my _lover_… It's the ultimate experience… I want to be with you the whole time… I'm always looking forward to this one day in the week in which we can play together…" Saito told him.

"Heh, heh, heh. Thanks, Saito." Blues grinned.

He suddenly descended to be face-up on the bed and covered them with the blankets before starting a new round.

"… Okay. I'll ring you to arrange for next week's day."

"Eh… Enzan. Are you sure no – one has noticed anything?"

Enzan was finishing dressing back up and was putting his socks on: Netto had finished putting on the trousers and the shirt although he hadn't buttoned it yet and it was open, showing off his body.

"Don't worry, Netto. The employees never butt in when they're not asked for, so… And the old man doesn't give a crap for what I do as long as the trimester numbers end up green." Enzan relieved him.

"Ah… That relieves me. I wouldn't want you to get into a mess because of our hobby…" Netto replied as he buttoned the shirt.

"I know you're a nice guy, Netto. But don't worry: I've got everything under control."

"Heh, heh, heh!" Netto chuckled.

"It'd seem our lovebirds are singing a new tune." Saito teased as he came out of the bathroom.

"Blues made a mess of your hair again?"

"Yeah. Enzan. Is that a joke you came up with?" Saito asked.

"Well…" Enzan trailed off.

"I am afraid that Enzan – sama is admitting his guilt." Blues smiled and folded his arms.

"Please tell him to quit it: I spend almost 10 minutes fixing it back! I don't find it funny." Saito requested as he rolled his eyes.

"Okay… I'll _try_ to drop it."

"You love double-edged words, eh, Enzan?" Saito smiled.

"He's a double-edged sword to begin with." Netto chuckled.

"Sure. I'm off. Come back, Blues."

"Yes, Enzan – sama. See you, Saito."

"Take care!"

"By the way, Netto…"

"Yeah?"

Enzan suddenly licked his right nipple and Netto let out a soft moan as his face contracted to show he'd suddenly turned on: Enzan grinned and then pinched the other nipple.

"A little reminder: I'm sneaky."

"Heh… You sure are." Netto grinned at him.

"Enzan – sama, sir… You don't know when to quit, sir?"

"Don't worry, Blues. It was but a little reminder. Let's go before Raoul shows up with his newest DJ song."

"Roger, sir."

Enzan came out and Netto buttoned his shirt before putting the vest on and zipping it up: he came out into the balcony and waved good-bye at Enzan who was soon out of sight.

"Well! Let's focus on the next week: classes end on Wednesday the 21st so we've still got some days of work left to tackle." Netto smiled.

"Sure, otouto… Let's give it our best shot!"

"And let's dance a crazy dance too. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"


	9. Chapter 8: A riddle

**Chapter 8: A riddle**

16:39 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday December the 14th…

"… Netto – kun!"

"What's up, niisan?"

Saito materialized inside of the bedroom and quickly took out his helmet to let his hair loose.

"You were right in making me check Silver Arrow's HQ mainframe again. I found a hidden file disguised as part of a torrent file."

"Heh, heh! I have a knack for this!"

"Yeah! Anyway… It's a riddle like the one Golden Star used… "The place is at the coast of the country where the ancient Greeks founded their Market. Go down it until you find the place named after the discoverer of the New World. Then, go north to the Three Hills. There it is." … What do you think of it, otouto?" Saito quoted and then asked for Netto's opinion.

"… Why would they write "Market" in English with a _capital_ M?" Netto asked as he looked at it while being displayed in the screen.

"Dunno… There must be some connection of that word with the ancient Greeks… I know they founded lots of colonies all around the Mediterranean Sea, but without more specifics…" Saito trailed off.

"Hmmm… Maybe "Market" means a city name? Could you look up how is "Market" spelled in ancient Greek?"

"O.K.! Hold on a min… "Emporion"..." Saito replied as he typed into the computer.

_Funny seeing niisan using the computer from the _outside_ instead of from the _inside… Netto suddenly thought.

"_Thank you_! Is there any city outside Greece with that name?"

"No. But…" Saito trailed off.

"But…?"

"I found a city whose name is derived from the Greek "Emporion": a former Greek colony." Saito explained.

"What's the name this city uses nowadays and where is it located?" Netto asked.

"It's called Empúries and it's on the north-east coast of Catalonia." Saito reported.

"So! He must be somewhere in the coast of Catalonia. The rest of the riddle says… "Go down it until you find the place named after the discoverer of the New World. Then, go north to the Three Hills. There it is." By "discoverer of the New World" he must mean Columbus." Netto brought a hand to his chin.

"I'm looking around… I don't think it's on the capital city of Barcelona, there's no place there around there which matches with "Three Hills". Ah! I found another match in a coastal city: Arenys de Mar. There's a hotel named "Hotel Colón". And "Colón" is how they name Columbus in Spanish." Saito reported after some minutes of typing.

"Can you find if there is a place's name which could be translated as "Three Hills", by any chance?"

"Yup! There's a residential district about some kilometers north of the town which is called the "Tres Turons"… The literal translation is: "Three Hills"!"

"We did it! We found him!" Netto suddenly stood up.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! Otouto can have good instincts from time to time, I'd rather say. Don't you think the same, Netto – kun?" Saito teased with a grin.

"Oi. "From time to time"… I _always_ have good instincts, Saito – niisan! You should know it by now!" Netto protested.

"Heh, heh. I like teasing you, Netto – kun." Saito replied as he pressed his index finger against Netto's nose.

"Jeez." Netto grinned.

"Anyway… How do you think the guy goes around? We can track any "Dimensional Converters"…" Saito frowned.

"The portal machine…! That's gotta be the answer!"

"Maybe there's one hidden near the spot where he vanished?" Saito suggested next.

"I'm sure there is. However… I have the feeling that this file was placed there _very recently ago_ or else there's no way Laika would've skipped it on his detailed search." Netto argued.

"In short: a trap. They want us to get there and then catch us… But we know that Hunter Man's materialization program isn't designed to handle too much damage. I could quickly disable him." Saito brought a hand to his chin.

"I'm concerned if he has an accomplice… Given how they were able to retrieve the text message yet the phone number didn't exist anymore by then… And Obihiro signed "Boss", so he's supposed to be the Boss of the organization…" Netto worriedly exposed.

"No grunt would dream of facing a Net Navi like me. And we can leave behind a document with the answer to the riddle. Blues could find it and Enzan would come with reinforcements." Saito suggested.

"Good. We'd need something to use as a weapon… Maybe my old baseball bat will do fine?" Netto suggested.

"Yeah. I'll work on the document."

He sat down on the chair to begin typing into it while Netto rummaged inside of the closet and brought out the baseball bat: he used a handkerchief to cleanse it and then tested hitting his bed's cushion with it several times from different angles, speed and strength.

"Good. It'll do fine. Let's finish the backup and get on the move: it's already 16:57 PM…" Netto told Saito.

"Roger. They won't run away this time." Saito's eyes narrowed and his voice had a hint of anger to it, even.

17:01 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Hum… No luck, huh…"

Forte was typing into a laptop when a cell phone placed next to it began to ring: he stopped and seemed to be frowning.

_I don't remember telling my number to anyone… Kanou Shade knew it but he's "exited" this Universe… There shouldn't be anyone who knows it anymore!_

He picked it up and looked at the display.

_0034 prefix… Spain…? Maybe they picked the wrong number… Let's try to be polite._

"Hello?" Forte asked once he accepted the call.

"Forte EXE: Ultimate Program Net Navi…" A voice announced.

"W-what? Who the…?" Forte cursed as he stood up.

"My name is Death Shadow: the Reborn Grim Reaper." The caller stated while using the "waga" personal pronoun.

"You're who?" Forte sounded baffled.

"If you want to keep it short then just call me "Death"."

"Is this a prank?" He demanded.

"STS has started."

"STS? Do you mean the Space Transportation System A.K.A. the Space Shuttle?"

"Hah, hah, hah… No. That is a codename." The caller made a hollow-echo-like chuckle.

"A codename…?"

"STS shall be a unique weapon." The caller kept on saying.

"A weapon…?" Forte sounded concerned by now.

_I dunno who this guy is. But this "weapon" thing is worrying me! _

"Correct. Once it is complete, and we demonstrate its power, the whole world will want that. You are about to witness a new age… The age of electronic weapons!" The caller sounded excited.

"Don't you mean Viruses?" Forte asked.

"Nah. That is too childish. Forget Viruses, forget "Darkloids" and forget "Cybeasts"… This is a weapon which will not fail. It will spread across the world and make nuclear arms race obsolete…"

"What did you say?" Forte sounded terrified, for once.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah… Enjoy yourselves… The _triumvirate_ has begun its motion… And no – one shall stop it…"

"Oi! Who the hell are you? Answer me!" Forte demanded.

"I have said it: I am Death Shadow! Remember my name, Forte! I shall be the new foe you lowlife have been earning for… Once a being is marked with my mark… They are met with a quick and sudden annihilation… You lowlife better hope you are not marked by me." Death Shadow announced in an icy tone of voice.

"What the…!"

"Farewell!"

The line went dead and Forte looked at his cell phone: he seemed to be frowning or looking baffled.

"Let's call back: I wanna tell 'im one or two things!" He grumbled.

He dialed the number and it was soon picked up.

"Good morning. The Phone House welcomes you. How might we help you with?" A person asked.

_Damn. Hijacked phone number… This is the store's public phone number, then!_

"Eh… Wrong number. Sorry." He replied.

He ended the call and sat down on the armchair while tapping the left armrest in clear annoyance.

"Che. No – one laughs at my face like that. But the guy sounded serious, so… Maybe Freeze Man can look up this guy's identity or some rumor about the guy…" He muttered.

"… So? What do you guys think of it?"

"Lovely…"

"Terrific…"

"Excellent…"

Sidier, Hunter Man and Obihiro were talking with the mysterious "guest": the pale blue glow of his body could be seen but the rest of his body was hidden by the blackness.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah… They now know… That they are facing the Grim Reaper itself…" The one named Death Shadow announced.

"Yeah. And Forte must be letting out a string of curses by now directed at you, Death." Sidier grinned.

"Let it curse on vain. I shall soon silence that venomous tongue and slowly slice it up before tossing the remains of that so-called "powerful one" into the _Naraku_…" Death Shadow icily announced.

"Yikes! I can't help it: he gives me the creeps." Obihiro muttered.

"Yeah… I get that same vibe, too…" Hunter Man muttered.

"I am not surprise you do not, Sidier… You come from the Death World itself, after all…"

"Yeah. And you're invited anytime." Sidier told him.

"I gladly shall visit it. But we shall now wait for the young flesh to arrive and grandly expose our purpose and intention… And I shall mark one with my mark: they shall know that their days can be counted with just one hand… Hah, hah, hah, hah…"

"Yikes!" Both Obihiro and Hunter Man gasped.

"Fear and terror shall crawl into the soul of that one and it shall slowly become hysterical before sleeping for all eternity… If even you two are afraid of my presence, then there is no doubt that those useless mortals will tremble before my presence." Death Shadow announced with a hint of amusement.

"Heh, heh, heh. Excellent, Death – dono… We are glad to have you onboard this little association." Saruba's voice rang out through the purple gateway.

"My first spot of interest is the Death Temple and the Death Tribe… I find it fitting that a desert region filled with such winds and desolation is home to such a Tribe…" Death announced.

"Tee, heh, heh. Ah. But every square inch of our world can be deadly for outsiders. The bog's treacherous pathways can bring death as well as falling into their waters…" Somari giggled.

"And if they're not careful, the winds of the Fortress can blow them away into the depths of that abyss…" Solo added.

"In short: everything in our world is intended to be lethal for any outsiders who dare to snoop in… But they shall favor Death – dono because His Grace is the reincarnated Grim Reaper." Saruba summarized.

"Hah. That is true. Let those mortals chase that "truth" and stake their lives in the process… The rush of adrenaline and the loss of all rational thought… They are the precursors to the eternal mourning roaming around the bloodstained "Dark Sea"…" Death Shadow sounded amused.

"Cemeteries say it all: all those fools who died chasing "freedom" or "glory"… Those are pointless: there's only life and death." Sidier made a sinister smile.

"And that's the only rule in this world: life and death. The weak ones die and fade away. The strong ones evolve and carry into the future. The weak ruled by the strong… That's what defines a tyranny. But we'll never cause or support one. No… Fate will decide!" Saruba continued.

"Yeah. By the way… We've managed to compile a chronology spanning February – May 2005… Have a look, Death." Hunter Man switched topics as he brought out a data cube.

"Ah! Good, good…! Excellent. I was waiting for it. Let us witness. "Nebula"? "Twilight"? What became of this one?" Death Shadow asked.

"He died back in May! He tried to go all out against Hikari and the clash of his ultimate attack with Hikari's Charge Shot and the resulting explosion collapsed the whole cave and took him out." Obihiro explained while shrugging.

"Yet… I did find some information of him… Did he not have a "Darkloid" named Umbra?" Death Shadow asked.

"… That can't be a mere parallelism." Sidier guessed.

"Maybe the explosion was done _in purpose_ to open a hole in Time Space and flee to a _parallel Universe_?" Saruba suggested.

"By all the…!" Hunter Man gasped.

"Hmpf. So that is how it was. And I believe I know what happened afterwards… Heh, heh, heh, heh… Twilight used his "Double" tactic again to flee but he remained somewhere else… And Kuroshiro Oriol then found his way back here. That is when he started plotting indeed…" Death announced.

"Whoa." Everyone gasped in surprise.

"Let the young flesh come. We shall greet them and cast our mark upon them… Heh, heh, heh, heh." Death Shadow announced.

"Yikes."

"… I don't feel like kidding anymore." Somari muttered.

"I don't either." Solo muttered next.

"Who'd want?" Saruba argued.

"No – one!"

17:17 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Maha~! Please~!"

"No! That's an ultimatum."

"Pretty please~!"

"No!"

"My life depends on that!"

"It doesn't. Someone might lose their life even!"

"Yeah. Like when you hit a Net Police's car door when the passenger was coming down…"

"Don't be Devil's Advocate, Tomahawk Man!"

Dingo was pleading to Maha but Maha didn't fall for it: Dingo began to play the victim but Tomahawk Man had a skeptical look.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… The Wilderness God punishes you for treating them as a mere tool…" Shadow Man chuckled.

"Shaddup, Shadow Man! This doesn't involve ya!"

"Shadow Man… Stop butting in other's affairs." Miyabi sighed as he came in and sat in one of the stools.

"Then I'll go fetch Osiris."

"Who? An Egyptian?"

"The Sky-Dragon Osiris, yeah…"

"Huh? Wasn't that thing part of some monsters' card game?" Hinoken frowned as he cleansed a corner with the broom.

"_Yu – Gi – Oh_, yeah… One of the 3 "God Cards"…" Tomahawk Man confirmed with a shrug.

"I beg of you~!"

"Enough! Go home, Dingo!"

"No way~!"

"Way."

"… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Listen… _It's my way, my way or the high-way_… Limp Bizkit, _My Way_…" Shadow Man tuned.

"Gra~h! Why does Dekao's bad luck chase me?"

"Oh come on! Dekao doesn't have bad luck: he doesn't use the head properly enough! GO – HOME! Dingo!"

"I'll be back! And next time you'll give it back!"

"Unless your parents tell me to…"

"Che!"

Dingo came out and Maha sighed in defeat.

"Dekao who got punished for saying the school and the hospital were bribed… And Dingo! He won't learn to use a compass or GPS software when delivering… What a duo!" He grumbled.

"They drive you _mad_!" Count Elec protested.

"Sure they do." Madoi was unimpressed.

"Tee, heh, heh." Colored Man giggled.

"That ain't funny, Colored Man." Elec Man sighed.

"At all." Fire Man looked depressed by now.

"What madness." Magic Man groaned.

"Let's compete to see who can create more "Doubles"…" Shadow Man challenged Magic Man.

"Not again… I'm fed up with that competition." He complained.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… Stray souls are stirring up conflict… Let them wander across the world… Heh, heh, heh…"

"Shadow Man…! Shut up already and do us a favor…!"


	10. Chapter 9: A courtesy visit

**Chapter 9: A courtesy visit**

17:41 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday December the 14th…

"… Crap. Light is fading out already…! I better use the PET's flashlight to see the ground."

"Yeah. You better do."

Netto and Saito were searching the area around the spot where Obihiro had vanished: the clearing where the car had been parked at had been sealed off by police tape to keep its integrity.

"Here."

Netto turned on the flashlight and aimed it at the ground to check the terrain while Saito pushed branches and bushes asides to try to open a path up.

"A path…!"

They continued until they reached the lake's edge: it extended for about 700 meters and was about 400 wide: Netto aimed the flashlight at the ledge and spotted some ledges set like stair steps descending and curving to head under another cliff.

"This path looks like it can be walked." Netto commented.

"Yeah. But let's check if it's solid enough." Saito replied.

He tapped the ground and it didn't bulge nor move.

"It'd seem this is a natural formation… Good. Let's go, otouto." Saito muttered before addressing him.

"Roger."

They jumped from ledge to ledge until they reached a cave's entrance set into the cliff.

"I see! It's so deep inside that you can't see it by looking from above… This is why they didn't think of searching further." Netto realized as he looked upwards.

"I guess it was to be expected: you wouldn't think there'd be a cave in such a spot." Saito agreed on it.

They stepped in and found a machine set there: it had a pyramidal base and a tall vertical circle with rows of monitors and machines aligned at its sides.

"This is it! Let's check it out." Netto exclaimed.

"O. K.!"

They both ran next to it and Saito began to interact with a keyboard set under a monitor: a set of coordinates was displayed along with the location's address.

"Say… Why do you think the guy claimed he was at Poland?" Netto suddenly frowned.

"… Oh! I remember! There was that humor show named _Polònia_ which means Poland!" Saito recalled.

"So he went by that joke… Anyway… Let's start this thing up." Netto muttered before switching topics.

He took out the baseball bat from a sports bag and held it while Saito pressed the "RETURN" key: the machine hummed and a purple-colored vortex formed inside of its frame.

"Okay! Next stop: Three Hills!" Both announced.

Saito jumped in and Netto waited a second before following him: the world became a purple tunnel surrounded by blackness

"Wow."

He felt a force gripping all of the atoms on his body and shooting him forward.

"Whoa!"

He automatically stepped out of an identical machine placed behind him as it powered down.

"Hum."

The machine was set inside of a small wooden-made room somewhere: Saito was already standing next to the only door and having the Rock Buster drawn.

_Operation: Intrusion starts now._ Saito mentally warned.

_Roger. Maintain silence._ Netto acknowledged.

Saito slowly turned the doorknob and the door silently opened into a lighted corridor made of wood.

_Go!_

Both stepped out and Saito took point while aiming the Rock Buster as Netto held the baseball bat.

_Clear!_

The corridor had three doors at the right and some closed balcony doors to the left with the blinder doors closed: some light filtered through them as well.

_It's close to 10 AM in here… There's an 8 hour difference with Japan. And it's a bit colder, too. _Saito reported.

_Hum. Let's check these rooms_. Netto suggested.

The rooms were a bedroom with a closed and locked wheeled suitcase on top of the bed, a bathroom and a storeroom: they spotted a door leading to another section of the house.

_That's gotta be the living room and kitchen. He must be there._ Saito warned.

_I'm ready. Take point and handle Hunter Man. I'll butt in after you secure the area. _Netto replied.

Both kept some distance from each other as they neared the door: Saito began to charge the Rock Buster to have it ready before he looked at Netto: he nodded in agreement.

_Go!_

Saito kicked the door open and aimed his Rock Buster: they were inside of the living room.

The living room had more balcony doors, the sofa, the desk with the laptop, a TV displaying a soccer match and a burning fireplace.

There was a table with some chairs which acted as dining room and an adjacent window with a large window and shelf which looked reminiscent of those in restaurants.

Two steps led to a small upper level which had another bathroom in front of the kitchen's door and the main door, which was locked.

_Weird… There's no – one! I'll risk stepping in. Please stay back until I secure it, otouto! _

_Roger!_

Saito stepped in and quickly aimed the Rock Buster around as he seemingly scanned the room.

_No – one… They aren't home._

_Crap._

Netto walked into the living room while lowering the bat and both looked at the TV for a second before looking at the laptop: a Link PET was still connected to its USB port and it was working: the laptop was humming to indicate it was running some process.

_What? _Both wondered.

KA – CLICK

Netto gasped as he felt the muzzle of a gun being pressed against his stomach from below while Saito felt the barrel of a shotgun pressed against his back.

_Shit._

_Damn._

Netto looked down to spot Obihiro crouching on the ground and aiming the ground while Saito spotted Hunter Man stand behind him: the door had closed as well.

_Damn! Behind the door! They were there! We were fooled by the oldest trick in the book! _Saito cursed.

_Fight back!_

Netto quickly swung his bat towards Obihiro and kicked the gun out of his hand while Saito quickly aimed the Rock Buster behind him and shot at Hunter Mans' chest emblem from behind: it made contact and Hunter Man's body frizzled before he was forced to dematerialize.

"Hmpf. We predicted this." Netto told Obihiro.

"You're under arrest." Saito added.

They suddenly heard someone breathing close by and the atmosphere seemed to turn colder than usual.

_HUH?_

Ice began to form on the ground and quickly climbed up to immobilize Saito's legs: he bent and tried to break it, but a pale blue hand came out of nowhere and closed around Saito's neck while forcing his head to look at the ceiling.

"Niisan!" Netto gasped.

His right hand was suddenly encompassed into ice and he let go of the bat in instinct: Obihiro picked it and jumped over the chair to deliver a hit to the back of Netto's skull: he blacked out and collapsed into the ground all of a sudden.

"Groah!"

"Otouto…!" Saito gasped.

He felt the icy hand closing around his chest emblem and his body suddenly began to go numb before his eyes slowly lost the trace of consciousness on them and he lost consciousness...

10:22 AM (Barcelona Time)…

"… GOL! GOL! GOL! GO~L DEL BARÇA! 3 A 0! UN INCREÏBLE GOL DE INIESTA! GO~L!"

Netto mumbled something and began to regain consciousness while his skull ached after hearing a chorus of voices and the sounds of a soccer match.

_The Barcelona Football Club…?_

He tried to move but realized that his upper body, shoulders elbows and wrists were tied with thick ropes: his knees and ankles were also immobilized and he was sitting: he could feel his clothes on.

_Agh… What the hell happened…?_

His sight began to clarify and he realized that he was looking at the living room's ceiling.

_Huh… Obihiro's hideout?_

He slowly lowered his gaze and looked at his right to see Saito being immobilized by what looked like the wire for a Yo-yo Battle Chip and still unconscious.

_Damn… What went wrong? I'd kicked the gun out of Obihiro and niisan was able to disable Hunter Man's materialization…!_

Saito began to mumble and he slowly woke up as well while looking confused: he suddenly gasped and looked at his helmet's forehead with a surprised look.

_What? E~H?_

Netto looked there and gasped: the_ shi_ ("death") _Kanji_ had been engraved in one of the yellow squares and it was colored pale blue.

"That is my mark, Hikari Brothers." An icy voice announced.

"Huh! Who…?" Netto gasped.

"Who goes there?" Saito demanded.

They gasped and spotted the faint trace of a figure standing in front of them which seemed to emit a pale blue glow: the "invisibility" effect began to fade and it was revealed.

"Yikes!"

The newcomer seemed to be over a meter and eighty tall and he had a pale blue color to his body.

His helmet had no face and had a turquoise - colored slit shaped like the Alphabet letter "Y" was set on its center while it also had a dome-shaped form above its body.

His shoulders were shaped like two round spheres with a cell-like pattern drawn into them: the armor was thicker around the chest and seemed to have two ellipsoid lines which vaguely resembled eyes set on it while a small round spot with six membrane-like formations on drew a shape similar to a mouth.

The waist had a navy blue colored piece shaped like the Alphabet letter "V" built on it and the legs had two round turquoise spots on each side plus above and below the knee which also resembled eyes: his feet were slightly curved in shape.

The left arm had some lines running down the sides before ending in a very thin and skeleton-like hand with a living round turquoise eye with a black pupil set on top of its palm while, in comparison, the right arm bore what looked like a built-in buster colored both turquoise and navy blue.

Overall, his mere presence seemed to chill the room and foresee something dreadful and terrible.

"My name is Death Shadow." He announced.

"Death… Shadow…?" Both slowly asked.

"Before you two ask… I am a "Darkloid". But you two never got to battle me or see me before." He let out next.

"S-so…? W-where did you…?" Netto asked as his teeth danced and he looked like he was trembling in cold.

"It would seem the atmosphere is not adequate… Let us switch it." He announced.

He snapped his left hand's fingers and the air seemed to heat up slightly to become comfortable: both sighed in relief.

"Where did I come from? Ah. That is a long and intriguing tale. But since there is plenty of time, I shall narrate it. I should be named an extraterrestrial "Darkloid" to begin with." He announced.

"Extraterrestrial…! Like Duo and Slur?" Saito gulped.

"Yet… Those two were _purposely_ created. My own existence was the result of some coincidences and events. I was not a data being to start with… I was a living being." Death Shadow pointed out.

"T-then…? How did you…?" Netto asked.

"I was "born" in a far away planet… My duty was to ride in a huge shell across space and find a planet to irrigate with my own substance… A mutagen which, for convenience, I shall name "Factor"… I impacted against a planet and soon found one slight problem: there was no strong enough native predator or machine which I could use as a guardian." He began explaining.

"W-whoa!" Both gasped.

"So, left with no other solution, I spent time mutating and altering my own genetic code and shape until I became an autonomous being generating the "Factor" by my own existence. I shaped an exoskeleton as defense to my core form and roamed the planet… The small human colony there died because they were unable to adapt to the radiations and the mutations brought upon by my arrival. However… Some new humans arrived. They built a gigantic base for the sole purpose of mining and processing the "Factor". But I proved too much for their security drones, so… They fled to seemingly come at another time with better weapons but they did lockdown with heavy bulk gates all passageways in an out of the impact cavern where I dwelled at." He narrated.

"Incredible…!" Both exclaimed.

"Another few years spanned… And two beings showed up. For the sake of simplicity… I will label as them as autonomous Net Navis. They fought me out of defense when they found me: I had by then managed to escape the sealed down caverns and reached the surface… They managed to breach my exoskeleton. But their weapons could not damage my core form."

"And you deleted them?" Saito tried to guess.

"No. At that time, I believed they could lead to some use, so… I began to tag along them and we mutually did not attack each other. But a new expedition led by a man named _Vadous_ arrived. That is when things took an important turn." He let out.

"V-Vadous, you say! Didn't Twilight…?" Netto gasped.

"True. "Vadous Chaos" was based upon him. But Vadous was a mortal of flesh, blood and bone. His techniques were materialized data. One of the components of the expedition was an android. He and his companions battled us." Death Shadow continued.

"What happened?"

"The android had analyzed my composition and found the only weapon which could damage me: my own "Factor" could overload my composition. He did so and I was forced to take on a very simple core form with little to no defense… In an act of last struggle, I plunged my… I suppose you could name "tentacles"… into their body. The result was above what any of us two expected: I ripped off their whole outer armor, nanomachines, segments of its power core, segments of its electronic brain and some internal circuitry. I began to assimilate with them and feigned my destruction by shattering the ground and plunging into a deep cave."

"And you then… evolved?" Netto tried to guess.

"Correct. It took me some hours, but thanks to the nanomachines, they could quickly rebuild the missing parts from what I had. My assimilation with the electronic brain opened a new world to me: the world of autonomous thought and the human world. The only price I had to pay for such evolution was that I could no longer generate "Factor"…"

"But… Why didn't we ever find this "Vadous" person?" Saito frowned.

"Hah. That is because all of this happened in a _parallel Universe_ with different events and existences." Death Shadow told them.

"What!" Both exclaimed.

"Is that it so hard to conceive? Did not you two visit "Beyondard" to end the "Cybeast War"?" Death Shadow sounded amused.

"T-true, but… We weren't expecting such a thing to be true…" Netto admitted.

"I then met with those two Navis and we established cooperation: I would gain experience and they would gain power. Both ended up winning. We then used a space time machine to flee to Earth. We began to stir up chaos: we built a satellite and began to plan on filling Earth with "Factor" and turning it into another planet…"

"What!"

"But… I had the idea of challenging you two given your potential. You came at me after defeating my companions and I gave you war with a machine I had invented. You used your trump card to fight me: the "Vadous Soul"..." Death told them.

"W-what! We… could use such a power?" Netto gasped.

"It must've been incredibly powerful…!" Saito gasped.

"So it was: its "Chaos Beam" tore through my war machine and annihilated me. But… Its grand power tore a hole in Time Space for a second and I was sucked into it as my data began to break apart. I ended up somewhere while being already dead. But… Obihiro was able to slowly repair me and my memory files. Thus, I am grateful to him and I am cooperating with them." He finished.

"Then… You were the one who froze my legs!" Saito grasped.

"And that's why they didn't react: they were counting on you!" Netto grasped next.

"Hmpf. You are starting to realize, it would seem. And no matter what you two do… STS cannot be halted." Death Shadow shrugged.

"STS? The Space Shuttle…?" Saito frowned.

"No way you're gonna go with Tesla's Yggdrasil Plan…" Netto muttered.

"What? Ah. No. That was foolish. Orbital satellites cannot survive re-entry and even less crash against the face of the Earth. Some remains might rain down, but… Both Pharaoh Man and Tesla Magnets were idiotic." He sounded bored.

"Yo. It'd seem the "guests" have come." A voice rang out from inside of the laptop.

"Sidier. Do come out and greet them."

"Sidier…?" Both wondered.

_Wait. The guy just mentioned "Vadous"… And "Sidier" is… _

_Another cruel _Star Wars _joke…!_ Netto grasped.

Sidier materialized next to Death Shadow while looking amused.

"Sergei!" Both exclaimed.

"Wrong. I'm based off him. My name is Sidier. My Lord commands the road I trek upon." He calmly corrected.

"… Lord…? Saruba?" Netto gasped.

"I was told you had some degree of "familiarity" with Yamikawa – sama indeed." Sidier grinned.

_Based off Sergei…? No! That's the "Cross Fusion" form! _Saito realized.

_True! They just erased the _Kanji _it had on it and added new ones!_

_I'm convinced he ain't "based off": he's the same body but with a different persona!_ Saito told him.

_They didn't get to "underground", then! Saruba transformed them! _Netto deduced.

_Yeah! He must've wanted Obihiro to take over and use him! What a double-faced creep!_ Saito grumbled.

"So! Death. You finished your nice tale?" Obihiro asked as he walked in while carrying the wheeled suitcase.

"Correct." He merely replied.

"Heh. Two "Net Saviors" and they were caught so easily…" Sidier looked rather amused.

"If it hadn't been for that Vader wannabe, Obihiro and that Hunter Man would be the ones who'd gotten caught instead!" Netto growled.

"Vader…? Darth Vader…? Ah. My breath SFX is copied from him, I will admit such." Death Shadow made a hollow-like chuckle.

"And what's with this _Kanji_ on my forehead?" Saito demanded.

"My mark… Those labeled with it die in less the days a human hand possesses… Such is your fate, Hikari Saito." Death announced.

Saito gasped and looked afraid as he tried to struggle to break the wire immobilizing him.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah… That is the kind of face I rejoice on seeing… The face of fear, terror and desperation… That rush of adrenaline which erases all rational thought and makes your own self trek the road to eternal sleep…" Death Shadow laughed.

He jumped over the desk and loomed over them: Netto also looked afraid and tried to break the ropes.

"D-don't come any closer!"

He suddenly felt those icy fingers pressing against his bandana's cloth and the same _Kanji_ was slowly drawn into it until it glowed.

"It would be unfair for those who came to exist at the same day not to do die together." He announced.

"Y-you jerk!"

"Now, now… Death. Remember Emperor S – sama's request: he wants those two alive to make up a nice exciting show." Hunter Man called out.

"I knew that. I was just displaying how serious I can be when I desire to be in such an attitude." He shrugged.

He returned to his earlier spot while the other two seemed to snap out of it and tried to look unimpressed.

"What's that "STS" which you talked about earlier on?" Netto demanded while looking serious.

"STS: a weapon." Death quickly replied.

"A weapon…! What weapon…?" Saito demanded.

"Hmpf. I am still researching onto how to construct it. But you two will get to experience it as well as the rest of those foolish mortals out there soon enough." Death shrugged.

"Obihiro! What are you planning?" Netto demanded.

"Hmpf! What I do is wished by Emperor S – sama. He wants you two alive, so… I'm just getting ready to leave elsewhere. And something tells me Ijuuin will soon catch up." Obihiro put up a smug smile.

He giggled under his breath as he headed back towards the bedroom and the twins grumbled under their breaths.

"I need to find some reference files. Sidier. You are in charge." Death announced.

"My pleasure…" Sidier grinned.

Death chuckled as he dematerialized and disappeared from the room: the atmosphere seemed to ease up: Sidier picked a chair and sat down while leaning his right elbow over his right hip and his right cheek on his right fist.

"By the way… Did you know? Twilight didn't really "die" back in May."

"What!" Both gasped.

"Did you pay good attention to Death's tale? He traveled here via a Time Space hole which opened because of the Chaos Beam… And since Twilight used it, too… He actually _intended_ for the explosion to happen and he was able to be "sucked" by the hole to "exit" this Universe." Sidier smugly told them.

"Damn." Both cursed.

"And Kuroshiro lied, too. He wasn't revived in April. No. Twilight revived him on some other planet which that android who was Death's basis visited: Umbra was there, too. Both got bested but we believe it to have been another "Double". Twilight must've visited a _second_ Universe, maybe his origin place, and that must be when he came up with the _cyborg body_ thing. Kuroshiro _did_ betray him and ran back here somehow."

"Shit. And he fooled us from the start to the end." Netto growled.

"Yeah. What a creep!" Saito growled next.

"Heh, heh, heh… Yeah… But I'd rather Colonel Olrik is a cool bad guy: he always has the surprise element of everyone thinking he's dead."

"You're into _Blake & Mortimer_, too, then."

"No wonder: Solo must've told him."

"Yeah. Solo is an excellent _gentleman_. Although… I would prefer not to be on the receiving end of Somari – chan's bad moods."

"… _Comencem la segona meitat del Barça Sevilla! Messi ha marcat dos dels gols mentre que Iniesta ha marca el tercer! Aquest partit promet ser pa sucat amb oli per al Barça!__"_ A commentator's voice announced.

"What did they say?" Netto asked Saito in a whisper.

"Huh… "We're starting the second half of the Barça VS Seville match! Messi scored two goals while Iniesta scored the third! This match looks like it'll be a piece of a cake for the Barça!" … I'd heard that they're a pretty good soccer club." Saito translated.

_Let's hope Enzan comes help us or we won't survive this!_


	11. Chapter 10: Express bail out

**Chapter 10: Express bail out**

18:51 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday December the 14th…

"… It's gotta be around here… Here! This must be the place."

"Yes, Enzan – sama. Probabilities are high."

Enzan had made his way to the lake and was examining the ledges which led towards the cave.

"Damn. I go to Netto's home to discuss the riddle we found while having a new look at the Silver Arrow HQ mainframe and I find the answers listed in a Word file along with the suggestion that there's a machine of those hidden around here. And Netto went there with Saito. I'm sure he knew it was a trap: but he's obsessed on getting to the bottom of this!" Enzan muttered with some annoyance on his voice.

"But even if Hunter Man was there, Saito should be more than enough to handle him given how his materialization program was so weak." Blues brought up.

"I know. But I'm sure Obihiro didn't forget that. And he must've called in accomplices. Standing idle won't do us any good: we gotta hurry!" Enzan exclaimed.

"Roger, Enzan – sama."

Enzan jumped down the ledges and entered the hidden cave: he ran over to the machine and began to type into the keyboard.

"This was used 55 minutes ago… And no – one has come back through it yet! I knew it: they've fallen into a trap are being held hostage! I'm gonna go and free them no matter what!" Enzan cursed aloud.

"Given how Enzan – sama managed to borrow an experimental "Copy Roid" based off Iris' design, I could materialize and assist."

"Yeah. Come out and be ready for battle. Things are gonna get hot and hectic." Enzan commanded.

"Roger, sir."

10:53 AM (Barcelona Time)…

"… Pom, pom, porom… Huh? A call…"

Obihiro was standing next to the house's entry and exit door when a cell phone began to ring: he took it out and looked at the display.

"Oh. Luigiano. Let's see… Luigiano? _Cosa pasare_?" He muttered before picking up the call.

"He asked "what's up?" to the caller…" Saito whispered to Netto.

"Let's take note." Netto suggested.

"… _Cinco minuti? Perfetto. Ciao__._" Obihiro grinned.

"… "Five minutes? Perfect. Bye"…" Saito translated.

"He's gonna arrive in five minutes and I guess he has a car." Netto muttered back.

They heard the sound of Navi logging into the laptop's Cyber World and a close up of Death Shadow appeared onscreen.

"Obihiro. I have the reference data. We can start planning from these." He announced.

"Perfect! Lemme have a look at 'em."

"Sure."

Obihiro walked over to the laptop and unplugged the charger to then store it on its case: he typed into the screen and read something before looking surprised.

"Whoa! Is the date on this file correct?" He suddenly asked.

"It is." Death merely replied.

"Whoa. Research on this was begun as far as the 70s…! Even before "Spectrum" even…! And I thought that decade was very dull!" He exclaimed next.

"Military always have technology superior to their age." Death shrugged.

_Military…? Some research which began in the 70s…? _Netto frowned upon hearing it.

_Dunno… It seems that that is gonna be the base for this "STS" weapon whatever it is… _Saito frowned.

They heard the noise of a van parking close by and someone stepping down from it.

"_Eh! Quien sere questo giovento_?" A man's voice asked while being obviously surprised.

("Who's this young lad?")

"_Agente dil Padrino._" Sidier replied.

("Godfather's Agent.")

"_Ah. Il Padrino…! Entendo, entendo… Capo sere negli la casa?_"

(_"_Ah. The Gofather…! Gotcha, gotcha… Boss is in the house?")

"_Coretto. Di dentro." _

("Correct. Inside.")

"_Grazie." _

("Thanks.")

The door opened and a man stepped in: he looked on his early thirties and had some blondish hair.

He wore a simple navy blue tie with a black suit and brown shoes: he sported sunglasses and a hat as well.

"_Capo. Io avere arrivato._" He announced.

("Boss. I've arrived.")

"_Bene, bene! Caricare dela bagaglio negli il veicolo._" Obihiro replied with a smile.

("Good, good! Load the luggage in the car.")

The man complied and paid no attention to the twins: he merely picked the wheeled suitcase and the laptop case with the laptop inside.

"Heh, heh… Anyway…"

He headed outside while Obihiro took out a piece of paper and a pencil: he began to mark some items written on it.

"Luggage. Check. Computer. Check. Food will be there and I already made sure nothing is left here to rot… Good. I've got everything." He muttered.

"Yeah. But we're gonna take it all, ya see." An amused voice rang out.

"This is as far as you two come to." A second voice rang out.

The door was slammed open and both Enzan and Blues appeared on the threshold.

"Enzan!" Netto exclaimed in relief.

"_Buruusu_!" Saito exclaimed.

"Crap. Ijuuin!" Obihiro cursed.

"Blues…! You lowlife…!" Hunter Man hissed while inside of the Link PET.

"That's my motto." Blues shot back.

"Give it up." Enzan told them.

"Who's gonna give it up, Ijuuin?" Sidier suddenly announced.

He drew a sword and aimed it at them: it was colored back and had a slightly curved shape along with a small purple-like sphere on the spot where the handle and blade fused.

"What the…! Sergei!" Both cursed.

"Wrong. My name is Sidier. I'm based off them. But I work for Emperor S – sama." He announced.

"I knew it! Yamikawa has been hiding your location from the very start, then…! The double-faced guy…! I'd like so much to go and fill his smug face with scars!" Enzan growled.

"Hmpf." Sidier put up a smug smile.

"So you lowlife are the reason their attempt to catch Obihiro failed." Blues guessed.

"Wrong. That was my hand." A voice rang out.

The atmosphere suddenly chilled and both Enzan and Blues felt a shiver go down their spines: Blues' Long Sword began to slowly freeze before it shattered.

"What!" He gasped.

"Ijuuin Enzan. Blues EXE. You two will be granted my mark as well." The voice announced.

"Who the…?" Enzan demanded.

Death Shadow's left hand showed up of apparently nowhere and was pressed against Enzan's torso: he gasped and seemed to freeze on the spot as the "_shi"_ _Kanji_ formed on his jumper's chest area.

"What in the…?" Blues cursed.

The hand suddenly gripped his helmet's forehead and the _Kanji_ was also drawn into it: Death Shadow then turned off the optical camouflage.

"W-who the…?" Enzan demanded.

"… Hah. My name is Death Shadow: the reincarnated Grim Reaper. Hah, hah, hah…" He icily announced.

"T-this guy…!" Enzan muttered.

"The power levels…! I can't measure them!" Blues cursed.

"Like those two over there… I shall come to take you lowlifes' meaningless lives in less than 5 days starting today." He announced.

"Less than 5 days…!" Enzan gasped.

"You lowlife…!" Blues hissed.

"Che!" Enzan grumbled.

"But, today… I am merely introducing my role in this "show", as they vulgarly name it... The name "drama" sounds more fitting to my intellect instead... Experience the cold which comes before eternal sleep…"

He suddenly charged up his arm cannon and placed the barrel on the ground: a mass of ice quickly formed and spread across the whole ground before it formed some tall and wide columns which made moving around harder: the ice formed on both Enzan and Blues' feet and it encompassed their hands as well.

"Farewell." Death icily announced.

He ran off along with Sidier and Obihiro and slammed the door closed.

"You cowards!" Netto cursed.

"Fight us!" Saito challenged.

The door merely froze and they heard the sound the wagon car turning on and escaping the area.

"Shit." Netto growled.

"_Buruusu! _That ice is temporary! It can be easily broken!" Saito called out to him.

Blues tried hitting the closest solid object he could find and broke the ice on his hands before shattering the one on his legs: he lost balance due to the poor friction: he sat on the ground and rubbed his lower back.

"Ouch!"

"Yikes!"

Enzan had managed to break the ice as well and he also fell into the ground while rubbing his lower back: the ice suddenly dematerialized and both were able to stand up and walk over to the twins.

"_Gomen_, Enzan! We fell for it." Netto apologized.

"Don't mind it… Even a whole team would've been unable to handle such a guy… What the hell was he, anyway?" Enzan muttered.

"Well… That's somewhat of a long story. I'll tell you on the way back home… Can you cut these?" Netto asked.

"Sure."

Enzan took out a scout knife and quickly cut the ropes while Blues used a Sword Battle Chip to cut the cable: both stood up and stretched their feet and wrists for some seconds.

"Guess we need to call a full investigation team to search this place… But I doubt them having left any hints behind." Netto muttered while he looked around the room.

"Yeah… I get the same feeling."

"I really don't want to find that guy twice… His mere presence seems to invite death!" Blues muttered.

"And I'm sure he wasn't kidding when he "granted" this mark into all of us four… He'll be coming for us." Enzan grimly muttered.

"No. Let's get the hell outta there. It's almost 7:00 PM in Japan and Mama must be about to get worried." Saito told them.

"Yeah. Let's go, Enzan."

"O. K. You two go home: I'll go report to the Net Police and bring an investigation team to work here." Enzan nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. The problem will be locating those creeps again." Blues sighed in defeat.

"… Heh, heh."

The black van reached the end of a hill and turned left to pick a road overseeing a city and the sea: only Obihiro and the man named Luigiano were onboard.

"So? Where are we going to?" Death asked.

"We'll need a custom-built facility to work on STS." Obihiro replied.

"Ah. True." Death realized.

"Heh, heh, heh. They must be feeling terrified by now." Sidier made a smug smile.

"Obviously." Hunter Man also grinned.

"Let the "Net Saviors" be filled with fear and terror, guys. We're gonna prove we _triumvirate_ are no joke. Heh, heh, heh." Obihiro chuckled aloud while looking amused.

"HORRAY!" They all exclaimed.

"… Where were you two at? It's past 7:15 PM!"

"Net Savior stuff popped out, Mama!"

"We're sorry!"

Haruka was scolding Netto and Saito for coming back so late and they both apologized.

"Ah! If it was a "Net Savior" mission, then it can be excused… Just have a quick shower and get ready for tomorrow, Netto." Haruka told him.

"I'll have to go brief the Net Police with _Buruusu_ tomorrow, so… I guess Freeze Man will take care of security." Saito told Netto.

"Sure." Netto shrugged.

They climbed into the upper floor bedroom and Netto headed into the bathroom while shutting the door behind him

"Phew."

Saito sat down on the chair and sighed in relief: he then spotted the _Kanji_ on his helmet's forehead and looked annoyed.

"Che. Jeez."

He pressed his fingers against it and it vanished but it formed again a second later.

"Damn. It's a repetitive program. That Death guy sure doesn't want people erasing his "mark"... Hmmm… Aha!"

He inputted some code and his helmet faded away to reform: the _Kanji_ didn't show up again.

"Good. Now I can sleep in a normal manner." He muttered.

He picked Netto's bandana and wiped the drawing off: it didn't reappear either.

"Phew. Who'd want to sleep when you're marked with such a symbol, anyway?" He muttered with a hint of annoyance as he rolled his eyes.

"… What? Are you sure, Freeze Man?"

"The information is scarce. But it seems this will be something extremely complicated to solve, Shuryou."

Gospel gasped once Freeze Man came into the Cyber World.

"So! The "Cross Fusion" Ivan has been transformed by Yamikawa into a new agent of the Dark Realm who names himself "Sidier". And there's a powerful "Darkloid" named _Death Shadow_ with them who claimed that they were building a weapon code-named STS?" Gospel sounded nervous.

"Correct. It has the looks of a _triumvirate_, even." Freeze Man added.

"A _triumvirate_…! What info do we have on this Death Shadow guy? What is he capable of?" Gospel gasped before questioning.

"He seems to have a habit of "granting" _Kanji_ to people… He also announced that he would try to kill those marked in less than 5 days from today. He seems to be fond of dramatic speeches and has the ability to freeze the room in the blink of an eye… His power may be above mine when it comes to that, even." Freeze Man replied.

"Crap. And I'm sure Sidier has that "Armored Form" on him as well… This could get ugly!" Gospel cursed.

"… Yes, sir. It really could. I should make sure to escort them just in case when they head to the institute." Freeze Man confirmed.

"… Yeah. Do as usual… And I'll try to ask Ijuuin for info regarding what happened on that house…!"

19:38 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Phew. I managed to wash off that thing somehow."

"Damn it. What was that guy?"

"Cool it, Blues."

"Yes, sir. I apologize, Enzan – sama."

Enzan had managed to wash off the _Kanji_ and Blues had removed it as well: he growled as he projected with the hologram.

"That guy gotta be the scariest thing I've ever felt."

"Damn Yamikawa. We should've been mistrustful of the jerk."

"Sure. I knew he was up to something but to this extent… What can you expect of a guy who's lived 15 years in such a dreadful place, had to fight for 5 years to gain his freedom, and then had to kill his deranged father in self-defense? His head must be a mess." Enzan grumbled as he washed his face with some water from the sink's faucet.

"No wonder, sir. And that guy's companions are too strong: heck, Solo was able to beat the hell out of me, sir. I apologize for my language, sir, but I feel extremely annoyed, sir."

"Don't mind it. Lash out all you want: that proves you have freedom of thought and you're not a repetitive program."

"Roger, sir."

"Yo~! _Little brother_! _Let's crash_!" Raoul's image suddenly showed up.

"Damn. Since he's in the "Net Police related" archive of phone numbers his call is patched in and treated as an emergency call."

"_Oh yeah! Let's struggle~! The Unending Struggle~! Only in theaters! Oh yeah! _Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Cut that thing off, Blues… What a day!"

_Who the hell was that "Death Shadow" guy? Damn you, Yamikawa!_


	12. Chapter 11: Approaching danger

**Chapter 11: Approaching danger**

09:39 AM (Japan Time, Thursday December the 15th…

"… So. Enzan – kun. Will you report to us?"

"Yes, sir. I brought Rock Man along since he wished to disclose what happened yesterday."

"Good morning, Commissioner Kifune."

"Good morning. Have a seat."

"Thank you very much."

Enzan and Saito sat down on chairs inside of the main meeting room in the Net Police HQ: Misaki, Yuuichirou and Yuriko were present as well.

"Eh… I'll try to skip the complicated details and try to give out the general idea about what happened… Death Shadow… He's a "Darkloid" who formed on his own around June but then got deleted in an accident of some sort shortly after that… Someone at the Dark Realm found his data and they brought it over to Obihiro: he spent a good deal of days restoring his body and his memory files. He has decided to come up with a plan which will apparently benefit Bronze Sword and the Dark Realm: it's code-named STS and it's some kind of new weapon." Saito explained.

"I see. Even though he was a "Darkloid", he had no ambition of occupying the real world like Shade Man and the others." Yuuichirou nodded in understanding.

"Ah! We also found out what became of Ivan and Sergei… Saruba caught their "Cross Fusion" body and somehow rewrote the personalities of them to implant a new one named "Sidier". He seems to be in a high position and only answers to Saruba. It's safe to assume that he keeps on having his past abilities." Saito added.

"I see. And Death Shadow's own abilities are no joke: he specializes on dropping the atmosphere temperature and causing ice to sprout out of nowhere. He is fond of dramatic speeches, it'd seem, too, and has an assassin – like instinct." Enzan explained.

"Hmmm… Saito. What's that mark in your forehead?" Yuuichirou suddenly asked.

"No way…" Saito groaned.

He looked at it and spotted the blue _Kanji_ which was still there: he took out the helmet and use a handkerchief to try to wipe it out but it regenerated.

"Damn. Death claims this is his "mark": all who are marked by it will be killed by him in 5 days or less." Saito growled.

"Goodness!" Yuriko gasped.

"Yeah. So me, Blues, Netto and Saito are doomed, it could be said." Enzan rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat.

"The mark seems to be some persistent program which keeps on executing itself the whole time like malware. I tried blocking it off and deleting it, but it's got some copies on my systems." Blues announced with obvious annoyance.

"Do we have any hints as to the nature of "STS"…?" Manabe asked.

"Well… Death left for a while and then returned with some files which were supposed to serve as basis for the design. They were about some kind of research being conducted by some military in the 70s…" Saito replied.

"It isn't "Spectrum": that was in the 80s. So we have to look for something as basis to build some kind of "weapon" which was developed on the 70s but then abandoned… Wait. You're not going to tell me it's a killer satellite… No. We already have those…" Yuuichirou frowned.

"It's very vague. But it's a start, nevertheless. And we can expect Yamikawa to turn into our foe given how he's been hiding Obihiro's location all along. He seems to believe all of this is a "show" and that he's in charge of it." Enzan warned.

"Shah, shah, shah! That guy's gone nuts." Needle Man rolled his eyes and sounded annoyed.

"Yeah! What can you expect from him, anyway?" Yuriko sighed in defeat with a hint of annoyance as well.

"Nothing good: that's what." Saito sighed as well.

"Sitting idle won't do us any good… We need to make a move. Defenses should be revised and improved. It's likely that they may target key facilities." Kifune commanded.

"Good. Then I'll go back to the Science Labs and begin work on the new firewall systems." Yuuichirou announced.

"I'll be going back to the school. _Buruusu_ will come with me. By the way, Enzan… You should take IPC's security into mind as well." Saito told Enzan while looking slightly worried.

"I see your point. I don't want what happened back in September happening again, thank you very much." He announced.

"Let's go, Saito."

"O. K.! See you, everyone."

"… Hum. These facilities look good enough for the task I have in mind. But we shall have to redesign the space."

"Yeah. We need to start working on the initial design and think about how we're gonna handle it."

Obihiro and Death Shadow were speaking as they examined a large and empty metallic room: Hunter Man walked along them.

The light came from light bulbs on the ceiling and two doors could be seen close by: they were open.

"Did you read the reference files?" Death asked Obihiro.

"Yeah. They'll be good enough for the time being."

"Heh, heh, heh. The "Net Saviors" can't even begin to imagine the storm which is gonna rumble over their heads. We are a bunch of geniuses, ya know." Hunter Man chuckled.

"Yeah. Anyway… We better get to work into deciding how we allocate space and computer power consumption." Obihiro suggested.

"I shall work on the prototype design in the meantime. We shall speak later on." Death announced.

He headed towards the south while Obihiro and Hunter Man headed east and entered a small bedroom with a bed, a chair and a desk: his laptop had been placed on top of the desk.

"Good. Time to work, Hunter Man."

"Roger, Shun - sama."

Hunter Man returned inside of his Link PET: Obihiro connected it to the PC and began working with several programs.

"… Good news, Yamikawa – sama. The moving is complete. Pre-eliminatory installation and design work is underway."

"Excellent."

Sidier was reporting to Saruba and he looked amused.

"Regarding the operation thou spoke about… The arrangements are almost complete. I have placed some pressure on the individuals who are gonna take part on it to show them their place. I was even able to find the fourth one." He reported next.

"You mean the DVD of _Episode 4: A New Hope_." Somari joked as she stepped in and stopped behind Sidier.

"Eh… Somari – chan. What might I do for thou?" Sidier gulped as he turned around to face her.

"To begin to… Stop using "sonata": it sounds too old-fashioned. If you use "kimi" on me, then it's fine enough." Somari told him.

"Eh… Roger."

"Somari – chan. This is serious stuff!" Saruba protested as he stepped down from the throne.

"Yeah. It's so serious and stiff that even the Red Sea's waters evaporate from its dryness." She replied.

"Jeez." Saruba slapped his forehead in defeat.

"So? Sidier. Are you ready for the showdown?"

"Ah… I don't know yet if there'll be a showdown or not… The point of that is to test someone's psychology…" Sidier admitted.

"Mr. Universe's, you mean to say. I'm a prophetess." Somari grinned and looked amused.

"Eh… Well… More or less…" Sidier slowly replied.

"What… You're still afraid of what awaits ya if ya don't behave? "A – le – le" is eager to test those vocal chords of you." Somari made a sinister and scary face.

Sidier actually stood up and stepped back while hanging his head down until he was two steps from Saruba: he then corrected his position to be in an angle to look at each other and stood still.

"Yamikawa – sama… What should I do?" Sidier requested.

"Go to your quarters. I'll try to solve this." Saruba sighed in defeat and folded his arms.

"Roger. Eh… Good morning."

Sidier quickly ran off like he was going to be slaughtered alive: Somari giggled while Saruba rolled his eyes.

"I'd rather say you prefer Sidious to me given that face of yours, Saruba - chan." Somari teased.

"Man." Saruba sighed.

"Tee, heh, heh, heh. I'm a genius!" She giggled.

"Jeez." Saruba grumbled.

"… Yo! Sidier. What's going on?"

"Ah! S-Solo… Eh… Somari – chan is about to bring out the unspeakable punishment."

"Crap."

Sidier had met Solo when running down the corridor and was telling him what was going on. Solo looked nervous.

"I had to endure that thing three years ago and I still have nightmares about it from time to time… Somari – chan is the reincarnated music teacher we three had back when elementary school in 1981…" Solo sighed in defeat and sounded terrified.

"Yikes! We're in trouble, then?" Sidier nervously asked.

"We aren't just in "trouble": we're doomed." Solo whispered back.

"Uh-oh." Sidier gulped.

"Yeah. I'd rather say we need to camp out. Try to not to go to the Bog Temple or she'll claim that she's got authority to have you sing that there and prove that "a warrior must nice a pitchy voice with a slight degree of pre-puberty to it which makes up a nice Molotov cocktail"…" Solo whispered as he quoted it.

"Goodness. Is this a ship sailing without aim?" Sidier asked.

"Yeah. And when Somari – chan spuns the wheel, we all go back to zero and start again." Solo rolled his eyes.

"Yeah… I get that feeling, truth to be told. And I think I'd go camp at the Fortress Temple. I've already visited the Death Temple and the Bog Temple again, so… I'm pending it." Sidier admitted.

"Sure. And we'll try to see how much power you "Armored Form" grants to you, too. Maybe it'll help you establish a new record, too, and the guys will like it." Solo grinned.

"I hope so…" Sidier trailed off.

"… A whale… You will be transporting a whale and everyone will claim it's a whale with wings. Ho, ho, ho!"

"Yeah, yeah… Very original."

Airstar looked unimpressed at Tesla's latest joke while she was laughing aloud: Gauss, who was cleansing close by, got a sweat drop.

"Charlie…" Gyro Man muttered.

"What a torture." Magnet Man grimly muttered.

"Uh… Tesla… I don't think whales are much of a refined meal…" Gauss nervously told her.

"And there's already a Navi named Whale Man who can walk on his two legs in case ya didn't know."

"What… A whale with legs…? Ho, ho, ho, ho! That's gotta be the Navi of a mad genetic scientist!" She laughed.

"Nope. As far as I know, his Operator is not fond of genetics. And your jokes are very dry, anyway."

"Yeah! They dry you up and that's why you don't laugh, Charlie. But I'm sure my "reality transformation field" will grant me victory over those savages who make fun of a lady who isn't even 30 yet!" Tesla laughed.

"Jeez. It's "reality _distortion_ field"… You turn reality around as much as you want like you were part of _The Matrix_."

"I dunno what that is: it's gotta be another of your cheap series. But I am genius! No – one else could make such a perfect strategy to break Magnet Man and Father out of the Net Prison!" She laughed.

"Ya were lucky: only Netto was there. Had Enzan been there, he'd stayed behind and stopped Flash Man from getting to the vault. You obviously timed it well enough." He dully told her.

"Ho, ho, ho! Tremble, world! The genius lady is coming!"

The four of them sighed in defeat: Tesla was impossible.

"… Damn. I don't get it! How do you read this stupid thing? My tomahawk would do us fine!"

"No… Any civilized person can read this, Dingo! I'm not your personal GPS device: get one yourself!"

"What's a GPS device?"

"Jeez."

Dingo had gotten lost again and Tomahawk Man was running out of patience on how to teach him not to get lost: Dingo was turning a map around while looking like he didn't understand a single bit of its indications to begin with.

"I bother to get it on English for ya and with the symbol legend and that's how ya thank me… You're an unthankful guy, Dingo!" Tomahawk Man growled.

"Man. Totem – sama has abandoned me because I don't believe on his guidance!" Dingo growled.

"No Totem – sama and nothing! _You're_ the one to blame~!" Tomahawk Man yelled at him.

"Damn!" Dingo cursed.

"And a GPS is a machine which tells you the route to do from the start to the end and chants each step aloud! Get one and you'll know which the shortest road is and how much time you need!" Tomahawk Man insisted while looking about to explode.

"Jeez. I've been degraded. Now I need a machine to tell me the whole trip like I was a 5 – year – old." Dingo grumbled.

"Jeez! Just get it already! Or else quit the restaurant and go back to the village to play "childhood love" with Shanka! Which one will you pick up, Dingo? Huh?" Tomahawk Man insisted.

"No way! I'm not gonna quit!" Dingo shot back.

"Then get a GPS!" Tomahawk Man yelled.

Dingo hung his head down in defeat and kept on walking while Tomahawk Man fumed and cursed under his breath.

11:08 AM (Japan Time)…

"… I'm back, otouto."

"How'd it go?"

"Bad."

"Why?"

"Look at my forehead."

"Not that thing again…"

"Yeah. And me too."

"What a jerk!"

Rock Man and Blues made it to the cyber classroom and Rock Man opened the communications window which displayed Netto's face: he signaled the _Kanji_ and Netto groaned.

"What's wrong? Desu?" Ice Man asked.

"A bad guy wrote this and I can't erase it." He fumed.

"Yeah. That sums it up." Blues fumed.

"What a frightening thing!" Glyde gasped.

"They must hate you, I guess." Roll sighed.

"I don't think so: they believe they're the Grim Reaper."

"Then that's worse!" She gasped.

"Guts, guts! It looks bad, de guts."

"That's another excuse to get VIP treatment?" Dekao accused.

"Ooyama – kun!"

"Yikes! _Sensei_!"

"Do you think they'd make that up? Look at his companion: I know he's Blues, winner of the N1 Grand Prix. He's serious."

"Well… But…"

"No "buts"! Proof! The world works by proof! You can't say things at random without proof of that! Electricity was invented after they found proof that it was possible to generate it and store it!" The teacher scolded next.

"Man."

"It'd seem you don't learn your lessons: I'll speak with your parents because you're really lacking when it comes to grades."

"Jeez."

"Get it?"

"_Hai_~…"

The teacher came out and Meiru walked over to Netto's desk.

"I'm – watching – ya~…" She grinned.

"Please… Can't you be like you were before?"

"Nope. I've matured."

"Great."

"Trouble, trouble…" Hikawa grimly muttered.

"Guess that…" Yaito looked nervous too.

"Ah! Yaito – chan. Make sure to keep tabs on Gorilla Man: they might sneak inside the mansion for all we know!" She grinned.

"No need to! My security is top-class."

"But Elec Man got through it over two years ago…" Netto reminded her.

"Hmpf! I've improved it tenfold!"

"Ah! I'm fed up with this mark thing. Let the guy come out already! I want to beat them in a fair and square battle!" Netto grumbled.

"I've got the hunch it won't be so easy…"


	13. Chapter 12: Confrontation

**Chapter 12: Confrontation**

16:49 PM (Japan Time), Friday December the 16th…

"… Shit! What wind."

Netto was walking down an avenue in Akihara while struggling against the wind gusts.

"The weather forecast predicts strong winds all the way until Monday, Netto – kun." Saito reported.

"Lovely. I wanna go to Higureya for a moment and this wind will make me take an eternity." Netto grumbled.

"Bear with it, otouto! It's not like anyone can control the wind…" Saito told him.

"Speaking of elements… What became of that Element Man guy who stirred up trouble in the city pool? He made a run for it and we never saw anything else about him, did we?" Netto recalled.

"Nope. I guess the guy is at a thousand kilometers' distance from here nowadays." Saito shrugged.

"O. K. Anyway… Please check the forecast: I'm afraid we're gonna have a colder winter than last year's. To think just one year ago we were trying to put an end to the "Cybeast War" in the "Wily Laboratory"…" Netto told him before he muttered.

"Roger."

Saito returned inside of the Link PET while Netto used his right arm to shield himself from the gusts: he soon spotted Higureya but didn't see an ominous navy blue Toyota wagon car silently following him: the side door was open and one or two figures could be seen standing inside the cargo area and looking out.

"Okay… Bloody wind… No way I'm gonna lose my chance to get some Discount Day Chips…! 50% off…!" Netto muttered.

"Hop!" Someone exclaimed.

A lace flew out of nowhere and closed around his torso, tightening.

"Wha?" He uttered.

The rope was tugged and dragged backwards with great speed: he ended up inside of the Toyota: before he could shout for help, he felt a hit on the back of his head, and he blacked out.

"… Netto – kun! What's going on?"

Rock Man had been eyeing the weather forecasts when he noticed the strange movement.

"Heh!"

Some kind of tape suddenly began to wrap around him, immobilizing him and stopping him from either shouting or seeing.

_W-what the…? Abduction…?_

He suddenly felt a jolt on his neck and everything also turned black.

"… Heh, heh, heh…"

The Toyota sped away and soon entered an abandoned warehouse's main room: two persons climbed down from it and quickly put a new outside decoration.

"Heh, heh, heh!" One giggled in a pitchy voice.

"Che. Quit it." Another growled.

"You two! Hurry it up." Someone commanded.

"We don't have time to stand idle." Someone else warned.

"_Pronto_! We gotta end this ASAP." The other person muttered.

They glued some ads for a security company on the body of the van before picking the brushes and paint while jumping back inside.

"Part 2: Complete. Let's move out." One ordered.

"Ho, ho, ho! We're back in action: the Four Heavenly Kings!"

17:17 PM (Japan Time)…

"… O~w…"

Netto felt consciousness returning in a painful manner: he couldn't see a single thing.

_Damn. I have ropes on my legs below the knees, on the ankles, around my torso, on my shoulders elbows and wrists plus a black blindfold. I'm sitting in a chair as well. But I've got my clothes on, thankfully enough. And I carry my ace-in-the-hole on my right sleeve… Who the hell abducted me? This must be Saruba's new idea for the "show". He's nuts._

"… and then the fiancée goes and marries her beloved man! It's a perfect _scenario_! Ho, ho, ho!" A pitchy voice announced nearby while sounding love-struck.

"You and your _scenarios_…" A voice sighed nearby: they sounded resigned or tired of hearing the same thing over and over again.

"Che. You came up with silly things the whole time!" A third man growled.

"Hmpf. This idiot then goes and claims none of us are "artistic" or whatever it's called. I'm not fond of subtleness. I prefer direct and rough action." A dull voice scoffed.

_Netto – kun! Are you alright? What happened? _Saito called out.

_Abduction: four culprits! I can't move at all. What about you?_

_I'm immobilized with what feels like duct tape and I feel like a mummy inside of a sarcophagus! There are four culprits over here too._

"… Heh! Should we add some special effects? Lighting and rain, for example? I'd make nice scenery! Don't you think so, my fellow conspirers…? Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… I'm a genius, yessir!" Someone excitedly suggested over a PET.

"No! What we need is an endless desert in which sinners are condemned to spend an eternity…" A dry and hoarse chuckle sounded nearby.

"You two are impossible." A third voice sighed in resignation.

"Che. I'd like to make bits and bytes of that brat, but _Boss_ forbid us and he looked like the serious type." A heavy voice grumbled.

_Those voices! I know them! Narcy, Sunayama, Saiko and Inukai! _Netto realized.

_This means that the ones in here are Video Man, Desert Man, Flash Man and Beast Man!_ Saito added.

_I'm sure that this stuff you're wrapped with happens to be Video Man's video tape!_ Netto guessed.

_Crap. What a mess. _Saito cursed.

Some knocks could be heard nearby on a wooden door.

"What does Job 38:11 say?" Sunayama asked.

"Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further." A familiar voice replied.

"Welcome! Are you our employer?" Saiko asked.

"Yeah. You've done a good job. I'm bringing the payment over."

"Good, good!" Narcy sounded in a good mood.

"Hmpf. Fine." Inukai scoffed.

_I'm hearing electronic money transfer. _Netto reported.

_Yeah. And I'm sure I know the author of that voice. _Saito grumbled.

_We're gonna be left alone. Look: I can use the ace-in-the-hole to break free and I'll then bring out the Salamander Battle Chip: video tape is extremely flammable. _Netto suggested.

_Good. Let's wait. _Saito agreed on it.

"Hmpf. Money… Whatever. I'd loved to torture the brat but we'll get another chance one day." Flash Man muttered.

"Che. It can't be helped: this guy is serious." Beast Man grumbled.

"Uoh… But they will all sink into my sands anyway…"

"Heh, heh. That'd be worth recording." Video Man chuckled.

"_Okay_! We're done in here. Let's go." Sunayama instructed.

"Let's leave before we're caught." Saiko added.

"_Bye-bye_!" Narcy laughed.

"Have at cha, Hikari Netto!" Inukai taunted.

The door was slammed shut and they heard someone walking towards them: Netto was calmly using a small knife hidden on his right sleeve to cut the ropes around his wrists and was now waiting.

"_Je suis le descendant de Rackham le Rouge!_" Someone announced in French.

"… Sidier." Netto replied.

"_Red_ Sidier." He announced.

"What did you blurt?" Netto demanded.

"…"I am Red Rackham's descendant!"… So?" Sidier sounded very amused to announce it.

"Dunno where ya got that from… And this is your master's idea to test if I'm gonna fall for the "desperation" thing and try to feed on the _Dark Side_ just to beat you and take a step into it?" Netto guessed.

"Hmmm… You would make a good detective, Hikari. Maybe you'd beat that Edgowa Conan guy to it, even. Heh, heh!" Sidier told him with some amusement.

"Then go to Paris and climb the Eiffel Tower."

"Maybe I'll do that one day. Anyway… It'd seem the room is way too hot by now… I'll go fix it." Sidier shrugged.

Netto heard him stepping away and he quickly leant the chair backwards to hit the Link PET against the wall and make it fall off its strap and into his hands: Netto caught it with his fingertips and then began to input some commands.

_Spell "Salamander" in Alphabet to me, please, niisan._

_S, A, L, A, M, A, N, D, E and R… _Saito dictated.

_Okay. Burn the tape, come out, cut my ropes, and we then strike the guy from behind._ Netto instructed.

_Roger._

"Hum… To lower temperature… Ah. Here… I spin this dial… And I'll have to wait a bit for the change to take effect." Sidier was muttering.

Netto waited and he soon noticed Saito's presence behind him: Saito picked the knife and quickly cut the rest of the ropes while Netto removed the blindfold.

"… This thing sure is slow." Sidier muttered with a hint of annoyance.

Netto grabbed the chair and hit Sidier with it: it broke and the hit was enough to propel Sidier into the ground from his crouched position in front of the heater: both quickly opened the door and ran off before he could recover.

"Now!"

The outside was just an abandoned-looking district and this small hut was placed on the very edge of it: a city's lights could be seen many kilometers away and there was a curved road climbing down the mountain.

"Damn. Where do you find a car when you need it?" Netto growled.

"Let's hurry it up." Saito replied.

"Battle Chip, Yo-yo!" Someone yelled.

The Yo-yo shot and coiled around Netto's lower torso: it immobilized his arms and he was reeled back at the source: Sidier then aimed a Long Sword to his neck.

"That was a lowlife's trick, Hikari."

"You were the one who brought out the former "Neo WWW" guys to kidnap me to begin with!" Netto growled.

"Don't try shooting, Rock Man. Or else this one gets hit." Sidier warned.

Saito made a grimace as he aimed the Rock Buster at Sidier and looked furious at such a trick being employed.

"Hmpf. You're not going anywhere. You will not defy the will of Emperor S - sama." He announced.

Netto, though, kicked him on the face with his right foot and he then used his knife to cut the cable open: he ran off while Saito shot at Sidier to cover him.

"Shit. I won't let you run!" Sidier growled.

"Battle Chip, Blinder! Slot In!" Netto announced.

The flash forced Sidier to close his eyes: he opened them again and found no trace of them.

"There's no point in hiding! You can't hide forever!" He roared.

"… Quick!"

Netto and Saito ran down some stairs into a basement room and they shut the door: Saito set up a barricade and looked around: there was a small compartment on the ground and a carpet was rolled against the wall close by.

"Netto – kun. Hide there and transfer me the Battle Chips. I'll keep the guy busy." Saito instructed.

"Okay."

Netto hid there and left one small crack to be able to breathe while Saito placed the carpet over it: he then readied the Rock Buster as he heard quick footsteps running across the ground floor.

_Damn. He followed otouto's heat imprints._

"You can't run away from this fate!" Sidier yelled.

_I dunno where he got the mottos from but they're so unoriginal… I'm not impressed anymore. _

He sounded like he was climbing into the first floor and he then shattered a window.

_Does he want to try a sneak approach?_

Saito began to charge energy as Sidier tried to open the door but couldn't because of the heavy cupboard which served as an improvised barricade for the room.

"… You've asked for it! Battle Chip, Count Bomb!" Sidier roared.

Saito heard the familiar beeps and there was an explosion: the armored door deformed and bent inwards: Sidier began to kick and punch it until it detached from the hinges and leant against the cupboard.

"Futile!"

He began to punch and kick it as well to shatter the wood but Saito narrowed his eyes and aimed.

"Charge Shot!"

The shot caught Sidier off-guard and he was pushed back before colliding with the stairs.

"Groah! You lowlifes…!" He roared.

Saito heard a sound and Sidier suddenly broke through the cupboard while setting it on fire: he was using a Salamander Battle Chip.

"Battle Chip, Aqua Tower. Slot In." Netto whispered.

The Aqua Towers formed and created a barrier: Sidier's salamander hit it and the water was evaporated: the salamander lost most of its heat and it stopped.

"Battle Chip, Long Blade. Slot In." Netto announced next.

Saito drew the Long Blade while Sidier drew that same customized sword: they began to clash and struggle in the deadlock.

"Where is your brother?" Sidier questioned while he struggled against Saito's Long Blade.

"Need Not To Know." Saito taunted.

"You lowlife…!" Sidier growled.

"That's Blues' motto." Saito shot back.

Sidier jumped back and made a feint which almost hit Saito: he ducked just in time and then noticed how the cupboard was still burning and starting to emit smoke: it was building up on the room.

_Crap. I need to take the fight somewhere else._ He thought.

_I get it, niisan. I know how. _Netto replied.

"Battle Chip, Area Steal. Slot In."

"Catch me!" Saito taunted.

He warped out of the basement and Sidier snarled as he followed him: Netto quickly came out of his hiding place and ran upstairs into the ground floor.

_I better pick another house: this one will be on fire soon enough. But at least it'll warn the fire fighters._

Netto hid in an alley and spotted Sidier and Saito clashing swords some meters to the south before they entered another empty house: Netto ran towards the right and picked the fourth house to the right of the one which was starting emit smoke.

_This should be safe enough. _

"Battle Chip, Variable Sword. Slot In." He whispered.

Saito drew the second sword and swung it to kick Sidier's own from his right hand and make a cut to his forearm: Sidier ignored it and calmly jumped away.

"Battle Chip, Sword Fighter X. Double Slot In." He calmly announced without losing concentration.

He drew two slightly curved and indented blades on his wrists and crossed them before assuming a combat pose.

"Sonic Boom!"

Saito shot the Sonic Boom, but Sidier bounced it off and quickly jumped towards Saito: he used the Neo Variable to block him off and they began to struggle as well.

"Give it up, Rock Man! You cannot defeat me." Sidier hissed.

"I won't know until I try." Saito calmly replied.

"Hmpf! Could you alone have bested the three Temples in just one month by using just normal Battle Chips and never recurring to elemental weaknesses? I was unable to get past Somari – chan but that was enough for me. My worth was proved." Sidier told him.

"What! Battling all of those guys, alone and not using elemental weaknesses – exploiting tactics… In just one month…?" Saito gasped and looked surprised.

"You couldn't! Only I could!"

The sound of fire fighters' truck sirens began to fill the air and Sidier glanced at the earlier house: its ground floor was burning and so was its first floor.

"Damn. My own recklessness has brought unnecessary people here… They cannot know who we are! I'll leave it at this for today, but, next time… Not even your "Bestialize" power will be able to defeat me! Rock Man!" Sidier grumbled before he jumped back and aimed his sword at him.

He swung it from a vertical position and drew a whole circle before vanishing while leaving some golden-colored diamond patterns on his wake.

"Phew." Saito sighed in relief.

"_Good job_, niisan!" Netto ran towards him.

They heard a car's roar and Yuriko's yellow car parked there with a screech of brakes.

"Netto! Saito! Are you two okay?" She asked.

"Yuriko!" Netto sighed in relief.

"Let's go! Climb in: the fire fighters are on their way here to put out that fire… Guess you'll have to report what happened to the Net Police." Yuriko instructed.

Both climbed into the car and it sped away from the area as the fire fighters came in and began to deploy as they showered the house with water.

"Phew."

"… I apologize, my Lord. I failed my mission and I even caused environmental damage. Please announce any punishment. I shall gladly accept it."

Sidier was kneeling in front of the throne and Saruba looked slightly surprised.

"Well… But you were able to put some fight, so… It's not that grave. You must remember, though, to cool it and try to act more rationally. There'll be no punishment. Just reflect upon it." Saruba calmly replied.

"Thank you very much." Sidier sounded relieved.

"Go to your quarters. I guess it'll be Death – dono's turn to come onscreen next time around."

"Yes, sir. I shall be going."

Sidier stood up, kicked his heels, saluted, and, lastly, headed outside of the throne room while Saruba leant backwards on the throne and brought a hand to his chin.

"Hmmm… Hikari Saito is becoming somewhat skilled and it'd seem Hikari Netto has an ace on his sleeve. I guess Miyabi taught him that. Oh well. You don't have everything on life, anyway. Let's allow Death – dono to stay true to his honorable word. Hikari Saito… You will soon realize… Death – dono's terrific abilities…" He formed a smug smile.

"Let's shake the shaker! Tee, heh, heh, heh!" Somari giggled close by.


	14. Chapter 13: Beast VS Death

**Chapter 13: Beast VS Death**

09:33 AM (Japan Time), Saturday December the 17th…

"… Man! What an adventure…"

"Yeah. We should be glad we came out in one piece out of it, too."

Netto was speaking with Saito after he'd changed into his usual clothes for the weekend: Saito just kept his bodysuit sans the helmet on.

"And something tells me we're gonna have a new clash with the guy: he won't stop so easily next time." Netto muttered with some annoyance.

"Yeah… We'll have to bring out more firepower next time around: I dunno how much the guy can take in." Saito sighed.

Netto's PC beeped: the typical email icon showed up onscreen.

"Mail? From who?"

"Lemme check… Huh… "Jeremy Armenian Club."…" Saito replied as he typed into it.

"Jeremy Armenian Club? What the heck is that?"

"Hum… It says here they are holding an open meeting in Japan's Net City District 3." Saito read.

"A trap! Well then! Let's show 'em what stuff we're made of!" Netto stood up.

He rummaged inside of a drawer and took out two unique Chips.

"The "Bestialize Chips"?"

"It's our only way to stand up to them." Netto told him.

"Yeah. We're gonna show them our true power, otouto!"

Saito materialized the helmet and then dematerialized to return inside of his Link PET.

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!" Netto announced.

Saito transferred to Internet City's main avenue and used the main streets to walk towards District 3: he reached an open plaza which was being crossed by lots of Navis.

"This doesn't look like a trap…" He frowned.

"Maybe it wasn't, after all…" Netto muttered.

Someone collided with him and left in a hurry.

"Ah! Huh? What's this?"

He noticed a torn paper coiled around his right leg: he crouched, picked it up and read it.

"Internet City District 7, Warehouse 4. Do not be late." The note merely commanded.

"Ah. Then… They called us here to give us the true message. Let's go meet Trap – sama, then." Saito calmly muttered.

"Yeah. And let's tell 'im he's fired." Netto joked.

"Eh… District 7 should be… Heading east." Saito checked his bearings.

He calmly walked down the streets until he reached a sinister-looking warehouse building which had a paper stuck on the door.

"Jeremy Armenian Club: Open Meeting."

Saito opened the door and some condensed heat swept out: the whole warehouse's atmosphere had a bluish atmosphere to it: a nearby thermometer read _minus_ 5 Celsius degrees.

"Damn." Saito cursed.

"Only one guy would do that." Netto grimly muttered.

The door slammed shut and was frozen: Saito tried to ignore the cold and the white breath which came out of his mouth as he looked around while having the Rock Buster drawn.

_Where…?_ He wondered.

The infamous _Kanji_ showed up again and his forehead began to ache: Saito brought the left hand there.

"Ugh… What a headache…! The _Kanji_ program is messing with my pain receptors… It's almost like I was _Harry Potter_ and _Voldemort_ was roaming close by…!" He sarcastically muttered.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah… I did get inspired by such a film. Obihiro can have bright subtle ideas." A familiar icy voice rang out.

"Shit. I knew it. Death Shadow!" Saito cursed.

A pale blue glow began to shine two meters in front of Saito and it gave way to Death Shadow's imposing figure: he was articulating his left hand's skeleton-like fingers.

"I said it: I would challenge you in less than 5 days. It has been 3. Thus, I am still inside of my self-appointed deadline." Death Shadow icily announced.

"And Saruba wants to make the "show" serious by having you delete me, then?" Saito questioned with some annoyance.

"Ah. Emperor S, you mean to say. I do not know what he wishes for. He respects my power and I am free to make any choice. He will gladly abide by it. A comprehensive man, he is." Death Shadow replied.

"Che. You want a battle? We'll give you one!" Saito challenged.

"There is no need to hold back: you will need your true power to be able to stand up to me! Showdown! Hikari Brothers!" Death Shadow challenged.

"Battle Chip, Custom Bolt! Slot In!"

"Custom Bolt!"

Saito drew an electrical device and shot several electrical attacks: Death dodged them just by floating a few centimeters above the ground and quickly moving from place to place.

"Grah! Fast! In that case… Battle Chip, Boomer! Slot In!"

Rock Man shot the attack but Death quickly dodged that too.

"Death Columns!"

He shot energy towards the ceiling and blue frozen columns formed around the area thus hindering Rock Man's movements.

"These columns again…! I can't maneuver!" Saito cursed.

"Battle Chip, Silver First! Slot In!"

Saito hit the columns with the Silver Fist and shattered them while Death kept on switching from place to place.

"Death Orbs!"

He shot several energy orbs from his arm cannon.

"Rock Buster!"

The Rock Buster made short work of the spheroids.

"Program Advance!"

"Program Advance!"

"Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In!"

"Giga Cannon!"

The attack hit Death but it didn't even stop his movements around the area.

"Is that all?" He taunted.

"Che! Battle Chip, Triple Bomb! Slot In!"

"Take this!" Saito announced.

"Death Barrier!"

Some algae appeared and formed a circle around Death while quickly growing on height and thickness: the Triple Bomb bounced off and hit the ground elsewhere, shattering the ice, which quickly regenerated afterwards.

"Damn. We'd need to have Breaker – elemental attacks at hand…" Saito cursed.

"Raise Dead!" He announced.

Death flashed and shot forward: he then started to levitate above the ground as an energy sphere formed around him.

"Damn! He's healing!" Saito called out.

"Crap! Battle Chip, Hell's Burner! Slot In!"

"Hell's Burner!"

Saito shot a stream of fire towards Death and the barrier exploded: Death landed back on the ground creating a shockwave which spread across the area: Saito jumped at the last second to avoid that.

"That shockwave thing looks dangerous! We'd be better off timing how to dodge." Saito called out.

"Yeah. Let's be ready for his next tactic!" Netto confirmed.

"Death Clones!"

He flashed and an identical copy appeared which flipped towards the right while the original moved towards the left: they started to spin around together and making it impossible to discern them by sight.

"Not this "Shadow Clone" trick again! Magic Man, Shadow Man, and Magnet Man used it… Now there's a fourth?" Netto complained.

"Netto – kun! Instead of complaining… Send me a Chip!"

"I'm on it! Battle Chip, Corn Shot! Slot In!"

"Corn Shot!"

The bomb hit the ground and caused multiple explosions which hit one of the two identical combatants: he exploded and the true one stopped.

"Hmpf. Useless!"

"What?" Netto grumbled.

Death flashed again and created yet another clone: they shot forwards in different directions and both started to levitate and recharge energy at the same time.

"We need an attack which can hit both of them!"

"A combo attack, then!" Saito exclaimed.

"Roger, niisan! Battle Chip, Tornado, Variable Sword! Double Slot In!"

Saito spun around inside of a tornado and shot Sonic Booms in all directions thus hitting the two enemies: one of them exploded while the other landed back on the ground causing the deadly shockwave.

"Yikes! He seems to do that every time we stop the regeneration of energy… We gotta have that on mind!" Saito called out.

"Gotcha!"

Death flashed two times and now _three_ enemies filled the area: they all spun around in unison and rammed into Saito from different angles with their right shoulders.

"Grah!" Saito groaned.

"Niisan!" Netto called out.

"Hah! Taste this! Death Spheres!"

The clones levitated into the air, moved around and shot energy spheres towards the ground: Saito jumped out of harm's way.

"Battle Chip, Air Wheel! Slot In!"

Saito threw the Air Wheel at the middle of the room and it generated a tornado which hit all three enemies: the clones exploded and Death landed back into the ground while causing the shockwave.

"Jump!"

"Roger!"

Saito jumped and dodged it while Death hovered above the ground.

"Not enough! Death Flames!"

He summoned two more clones and shot a continuous stream of fire forward, while he spun around with the copies.

"Yikes! That was close…!" He muttered.

Saito ducked to avoid the fire while Death jumped into the air and cancelled the copies.

"Death Beam!"

He shot an inclined blue beam towards Saito: he rolled across the ground towards the left to dodge.

"Huh! We're not getting anywhere…!" He cursed.

Death landed with force and caused the annoying shockwave.

"Then…! Bestialize Chip, Greiga! Slot In!" Netto decided.

"HRA~H!"

"Coming!" Death sounded eager, for once.

"Greiga Claw!"

Saito transformed into "Greiga" and shot forward, trying to slice Death into pieces.

"Death Barrier!"

Saito collided with the algae barrier and was deflected thus leaving him stunned for some seconds while Death accumulated energy on his left hand.

"Blue Beam!"

He shot a blue energy beam which attached to Saito's chest emblem and he collapsed into his knees.

"Niisan! What's going on?" Netto asked.

"He's… stealing… my HP…!"

"What?" Netto asked, surprised.

"Hah, hah, hah… Soon you will know what "death" truly is about…"

"We won't let ya! Bestialize Chip, Falzer! Slot In!"

"HRA~H!"

The energy column broke Death's energy transfer beam and Saito flew skywards.

"Feather Shoot!"

He shot several quick projectiles towards Death, who dodged.

"Red Beam!"

Death laughed and shot his energy transfer beam towards Beast Out Falzer: the beam was now colored red and Saito yelled.

"What now?" Netto asked.

"Huh…! He's inflicting a bug into me …!" Saito cursed.

"Damn it! Battle Chip, Dream Aura, Slot In!"

The barrier broke the energy transfer beam and Death laughed again.

"Battle Chip, Recovery 100! Slot In!" Netto announced.

There was a buzz and Netto cursed something under his breath.

"Recovery Battle Chips of values above 50 are invalidated!"

"That's cheating!" Netto growled.

"Hmpf. You are slowly trekking the road to the _Naraku_. It is awaiting your pitiful souls." Death icily announced.

"Not the _Naraku_ speech again…! Niisan! We're gonna risk it! Program Advance!" Netto grumbled before calling out to Saito.

"Program Advance!"

"Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword!"

"Dream Sword!"

The attack hit Death fully and he didn't bother to move, block or dodge it as he stood there: Saito panted and dropped into his knees as the "Falzer" form was cancelled: he cursed under his breath.

"You tried to bet it in one attack but it did not work. Hmpf. Maybe your "Alternate" was better, even." He taunted.

"Shut up…!" Saito cursed.

"Battle Chip, Muramasa Blade, Area Steal! Double Slot In!"

Saito drew the Muramasa Blade and warped before he hit Death from behind with it and made a large cut on his back which began to leak data out: Death growled something inhuman and stepped forward in an erratic manner before collapsing into his knees.

"Hah… So… You did have a last desperate resource… However…" Death muttered.

Some black pieces of data came out of the wound and spread around its surface: it slowly began to regenerate until it healed.

"What was that?" Saito gasped.

"Auto – repair nanomachines… They heal all damage in mere seconds' time!" Death announced as he stood up although his balance wasn't good enough.

"I see that even you have your limits to damage. But this is a tie-in." Saito coolly told him.

"Hmpf. So it would seem. Maybe I got a bit too much analytical… But that does not matter, anyway. Your life does not interest me. Your combat data does. Hence the reason for this so-called "trap"..." He sounded unimpressed.

"What? Combat data? Why do ya need that to build a tank?" Netto frowned.

"Who said we were building a tank?" Death sounded amused.

"No – one. It's a random guess." Saito shot back.

"Hmpf. Then you are wrong by a hundred milestones." Death turned serious.

"What's going on in here?" Someone asked.

The door was rammed into the floor and Blues ran in while having a Long Sword drawn: he stopped on his tracks upon seeing the scene.

"You lowlife…!" Blues cursed.

"Hmpf. More bothersome mice are walking into the picture… I shall be departing but do not forget something: we _are_ serious." Death muttered with a hint of annoyance.

He charged up his arm cannon and shot a blast which caused a hole on the ceiling to open along with one of those Time Space bubbles.

"Farewell! Rock Man EXE! Blues EXE!"

He suddenly crouched and jumped into the air while crouching to enter the bubble: it vanished immediately afterwards and the ice began to self-delete.

"Are you alright? Saito?" Blues asked.

"Yeah. Somehow… But this guy was no joke." Saito replied.

"I can guess that… Some people said there was a terrific scandal coming out here, so we dropped by to check it out in case some grunts were having a disco party." Enzan admitted.

"I'd rather had a disco party to that guy. One thing is clear: he has tricks on all of him. It took the Muramasa Blade to finally stop it after about ten minutes of fighting." Netto sighed.

"Whoa. That's gotta be the hardest battle ever… Did you get any hints or info?" Enzan whistled in surprise.

"One thing is clear: it ain't a tank. And they want "combat data"!" Netto replied.

"Combat data… You use it to analyze patterns and try to find a flaw or a counter to their patterns…" Enzan frowned.

"And it'd seem they don't have enough with recordings like the N1 Grand Prix or posterior events: they wanted up-to-date battle patterns. And I'm sure they'll be coming after us to get ours, too." Blues guessed.

"Yeah. But… What kind of "weapon" needs battle patterns to work? I don't think there's such a thing out there, is there?" Saito frowned.

"Dunno. I guess they want to go for an original invention… But I still can't narrow down the base technology which was being researched in the 70s and is still being worked on and improved nowadays." Enzan sighed in defeat.

"Anyway… This place gives me the creeps. Let's go to the Net Police HQ and I'll gladly present a formal report."

"Yeah. Let's go."

"Go on ahead. I'll get there ASAP." Netto told them.

"… Here: the combat data of Rock Man EXE."

"Splendid."

Death was talking with Hunter Man inside of the underground refuge: some machines which looked like a factory's conveyor belts had been set in the space along with some other devices: Death handed Hunter Man an USB device and he picked it with his left hand while smiling.

"How is the development of the "Manager" going like?"

"We're making some progress. But the files aren't enough. We may have to consult a specialist on the topic. We're a bit short of hands, you know, even though Sidier volunteered to give us extra help. Shun – sama needs to take his breaks, too." Hunter Man replied.

"I will not complain. I was not expecting the whole machinery to be complete in just two days. We may take a whole week to work on it but it shall be worth it." Death shrugged.

"Yeah. O. K. I'll store the data in one of the extra HDD devices and we'll then calmly look at it and pick what interests us. The program to analyze it is half-done as well."

"Good. I shall try to put the finishing touches to the interface design: I will work on the internal details if I have time for it as well." Death calmly nodded in agreement.

"… A… le… le… a… le… le…"

"Slow."

"A – le – le…! A – le – le…!"

"Quicker."

"A – le – le! A – le – le!"

"Better."

"Phew."

"We're not over yet."

"Grah!"

"Sing."

"A le le! A le le!"

"Too fast."

"A – le – le! A – le – le!"

"Good. Keep that speed."

"A – le – le! A – le – le!"

Sidier was standing inside of his room while Somari was seemingly acting the music teacher: she had a small cylinder with a thin rod which ended on a sphere on her hands: Sidier had his eyes closed and was blushing while Somari looked rather amused at the situation.

"A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le!" Sidier chanted.

"Good. Keep at it." Somari commanded.

"A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le!"

"Take a 30 second pause. Then continue." Somari commanded.

Sidier breathed deeply and then slowly expired before he tensed up and stood firm.

"A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le!"

"Tee, heh, heh."

"A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le!"

"Good! That kind of pitch is the one I was looking for. You'd do good vocals for our music band." Somari teased.

"A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le!"

"Good, good! Increase that speed, Sidier - _chan_." Somari joked.

Sidier blushed again but didn't stop.

"A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! A – le – le! Ah…!"

Sidier suddenly coughed: he looked out of breath from singing so fast and in such a manner: he panted and tried to regain his breath.

"Hmmm… I guess you need some more training. But I'll leave at here for today. And don't try to fool me by going to camp out with Solo to the Fortress Temple." Somari grinned.

She stepped out of the room and Sidier collapsed on his chair.

"Man…! What a nightmare! I don't want to EVER do that ONCE again. It must be a living _Naraku_ for all men out there cursing 1st of elementary school…! Music class…!" He grimly muttered.

He then climbed into his bed and stretched while he let out a yawn.

"I feel tired… I need to rest for a little while and I'll then go give Obihiro and the others a helping hand." He muttered.

"… Somari – chan! What have you done to Sidier?"

"Come on, Saruba! It's not like I'm an S&M sadist! It ain't like he's gonna die from doing that, either."

Saruba was confronting Somari and didn't look amused while Somari shrugged like it was nothing.

"I know you aren't, thank goodness. But tiring Sidier out when he was going to help Obihiro doesn't amuse me. We won't STS rolling and into production soon enough if you do that again." Saruba told her with a bored look.

"… Trying to pick on me?" Somari suddenly sounded annoyed and had a skeptical look to her.

"I'm being realistic! STS is important stuff! I'm not kidding around this time, you know!"

"Guess so if you're making such a fuss about it. I thought you were coming up with new engines for your car. Engines which can beat the bat-mobile Bat-Man uses…" Somari shrugged.

"I never had a car!" Saruba annoyingly replied.

"Tee, heh, heh."

"Jeez." Saruba grumbled.

He slapped his face on defeat and stormed out of the room while Somari sat on the throne and materialized a guitar while having a smug smile drawn across her face.

"Tee, heh, heh. Empress Kagehi – sama is in charge today."

"… Sidier! You alright?"

"I think I'll survive, my lord… Solo was right, sir!"

"Damned right. Somari – chan can be cruel when she wants to!" Saruba groaned.

"Guess that, yeah. Tee, heh, heh, heh, heh!"


	15. Chapter 14: Loose ends

**Chapter 14: Loose ends**

15:12 PM (Japan Time), Saturday December the 17th…

"… Really… We haven't made any progress!"

"No… And I'm worried about what they're up to."

Netto and Enzan were walking down a street and talking about what had happened during the morning.

"We need a lead!" Saito muttered.

"Obviously. The problem is finding it." Blues calmly replied.

Enzan suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked over his right shoulder at a navy blue Toyota wagon car apparently belonging to a security company parked nearby.

"… Blues. Is there anyone onboard that?" Enzan asked.

"… I can pick up four signatures, Enzan – sama." He reported.

"Four…? Damn. I think I know who they are." Netto cursed.

"Yeah. The _Four Heavenly Kings_…" Saito replied with obvious sarcasm on his voice.

"Heh, heh, heh… Time to cut you lowlife into pieces…!"

"Uo~h… Let this city become swallowed by my sands!"

"Hmpf. Let's hypnotize them and have them kill themselves. That'd be interesting."

"And I'd made sure it's forever recorded!"

Beast Man, Desert Man, Flash Man and Video Man materialized into the street.

"Meijin – san! We need a "Dimensional Area"!" Netto called out.

"_San wa iranai_! Dimensional Area: Activate!" Meijin replied.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Both assumed their "Cross Fusion" forms and calmly faced the four opponents surrounding them.

"Great Lion Head!"

"Jumping Claw!"

"Neon Light!"

"Wind Cutter!"

"Battle Chip, Wide Blade, Long Blade! Double Slot In!"

"Battle Chip, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Double Slot In!"

"CF" Blues jumped into the air to dodge both Flash Man's and Desert Man's attacks while "CF" Netto ducked and used the two swords so as to block Beast Man's claws and Video Man's tape.

"Go! Beast Man! Slaughter 'em!" Inukai commanded from the car.

"This place is my climax!" Sunayama announced.

"Destroy them!" Saiko commanded.

"I'm gonna get the Pulitzer award!" Narcy laughed.

"Shadow Clone!"

"Needle Cannon!"

Multiple copies of "CF" Miyabi showed up and all attacked Flash Man at the same time while inflicting heavy damage:

"Gruo~h! That wasn't enough!"

"CF" Yuriko's projectiles bombarded Desert Man while he was trying to attack "CF" Blues and opened some wounds on his body as well.

"Mugro~h! Not yet!"

"CF" Netto then kicked Beast Man on the lower jaw and plunged both swords into his chest emblem as a finishing blow.

"Groa~h!"

The attained damage forced him to dematerialize while "CF" Netto jumped towards Video Man.

"Play…!"

"Too slow!"

"CF" Miyabi's clones suddenly attacked him from all angles and made some deep cuts to him before "CF" Netto plunged his swords into Video Man's chest emblem.

"Nya~rgh!"

"What the hell!" Inukai cursed.

"Nya~h!" Narcy bit his own scarf.

"Two down!" "CF" Netto announced.

"Area Steal!"

"CF" Blues warped and quickly maneuvered his swords around to make six cuts to Flash Man's body: he roared and had to escape.

"No way…!" Saiko gasped.

"Clear Needle!"

"CF" Yuriko quickly sliced Desert Man into pieces and he had to flee the scene as well.

"Damn!" Sunayama cursed.

"Run!" Saiko yelled.

"Huh? The car won't start!" Inukai yelled.

"What the hell!" Narcy cursed.

"My bad. But I can't let you lowlifes escape." A familiar voice announced.

"Heh, heh! Freeze Man has cornered them." "CF" Netto chuckled.

"Yeah. And they were very easy to handle, too. We know them all too well by now." "CF" Blues smiled.

"Yeah. And given this morning's talk… I guess there's a reason for that which is roaming close by." "CF" Yuriko muttered.

"Hmpf." "CF" Miyabi looked at a roof.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… Maiden – sama praises you people!" An amused voice rang out.

They looked at the roof and spotted Sidier standing on it while wearing a piece of cloth over his body: a red mantle which covered the upper torso from the front and reached towards the waist from the rear.

The mantle was decorated with two golden diamonds which were the origin of string made of gray and hollow horizontal diamonds.

It was tall enough to almost hide his head when seen from behind: the interior had yellow and gray patterns drawn into its body.

"Damn. Sidier." "CF" Netto cursed.

"Come down and fight!" "CF" Blues challenged.

"Sadly… I'm not allowed to. Just make sure to enjoy what little time you guys have before the calamity descends into the mortal world from the immortal world." Sidier smugly challenged.

"Hmpf. The _Naraku_ will have you lowlifes' pitiful mantle." Shadow Man announced.

"Not again…!" "CF" Miyabi sounded exasperated.

"…"Net Saviors"! You lowlifes will be unable to stand up to this overwhelmingly powerful enemy! Slowly… And carefully… Crave your own graves! Heh, heh, heh!"

Sidier snapped his right hand's fingers and vanished in that flashly manner of leaving diamond patterns on the air.

"Shit." "CF" Yuriko hissed.

"Shah, shah, shah! Grrr! I was itchin' to erase that smug smile from that guy's face!" Needle Man exclaimed.

"But he wasn't kidding. We'll have to walk with lead feet." Blues warned in a serious tone of voice.

"And we still have a score to settle." Saito muttered.

"Yeah." "CF" Netto replied.

"… Ah… Kagehi – sama. Is Yamikawa – sama absent today?"

"Yeah. Ya could say so."

Sidier had returned to the throne room only to find Somari sitting on it and writing something down in a notebook: he quickly kneeled and bowed while Somari hummed a tune.

"By the way! Sidier… Have you tried taking off your bodysuit?" Somari asked.

"Do excuse me?" He politely asked.

"My, my! It'd seem you haven't realized… Your bodysuit ain't your skin: it's just a suit worn over your skin!" Somari told him.

"Ah… Is that so…? Eh… I had never thought of it. Kagehi – sama." He slowly replied.

"Tee, heh, heh. Ah… Saruba. Ya like taboos, don't ya? Why don't ya let this guy who's just starting his puberty discover his own hide? My, my… It'd seem I'll have to drag you out of the Death Temple by the right ear by myself and bring you here to be punished! Tee, heh, heh!" Somari sounded amused.

Sidier didn't move from his pose and was slowly turning white.

"Go to your room and use the mirror. If there is any to begin with, anyway…" Somari told him.

"Ah… There is not." He admitted.

"There should be one in the closet two doors down yours. _Check it out_ before Bright Man steals it off." Somari improvised a joke.

"Yes, ma'am. By thou orders." He confirmed.

"Tee, heh, heh. And don't worry: I don't peek in men's rooms as they change. It's not like they ever tried being perverts, either. I always kept all of them at bay by bringing up the music class nightmare." Somari sounded amused.

"Ah… I shall… Go to my room. Do have a good night." He quickly replied with some nervousness on his voice.

He quickly ran off and checked the storeroom: there was a large full-body mirror in there: Sidier picked it and carried it inside of his room where he leant it on an empty wall and looked at his own body.

"Hum… I really don't see the point. But it's really possible for me to remove this bodysuit? Wait. Kagehi – sama did remove a portion once because Dia Iceburn DS left a lipstick mark on the back of my right shoulder once… So… Maybe I can try imaging the right forearm should deactivate?" He muttered.

He looked at the right forearm: it slowly turned into data and entered his chest emblem: he then saw that the bodysuit continued and covered the rest of his forearm and hand.

"Whoa. It's true, then. Let's check… The right hand… I want to see if I have real skin on it." He muttered next.

The bodysuit around the right hand faded and Sidier lifted it to have a better look at the hand: it looked like a normal human hand.

"Wow."

He tried articulating the fingers and looked at them: he then touched the bookcase: it felt somewhat cold.

"… Touch… I can touch things and feel a sensation! Incredible… What a discovery! Eh… Could I even take the chest emblem out? But let's do it step by step… What if I try my helmet next? Eh… Helmet: off!" He looked surprised.

The helmet faded and his messy black hair spread around his head: some flocks did get to cover his eyebrows even.

"Wow. I'd never thought that I looked so human under the helmet. I mean… Yamikawa – sama always has his hair loose and all, but… I thought their case was special." He looked intrigued.

He then sat down on the chair and began to rummage around his hair with the right hand.

"Wow."

He kept at it for a few minutes before he lowered it and touched his chest emblem: it came off and Sidier placed it on the desk while looking intrigued.

"I guess the data is stored within my "Ultimate Program" and can be brought out whenever I want to." He guessed.

He then tried the boots and they also came off to reveal that his bodysuit extended and covered both feet as well.

"Obviously…"

He removed the left forearm as well and then took out the segments covering his feet and left hand: he walked around the room and stopped after taking a few steps.

"Wow. The ground feels cold, metallic and stable. Eh… Maybe I should try my upper torso next?" He commented before wondering.

The upper torso faded and Sidier looked at his body: it was rather thin yet it looked somewhat strong: he frowned and drew closer to the mirror to check something.

"What are these two things here?" He wondered upon seeing his nipples and frowning.

He looked at the bookcase and took out an e-book titled _human body atlas_: he opened it and looked something up.

"Hum… They're called nipples. They don't have much use even for normal human males but they can be used for arousal and they tend to be toyed with… Strange." He read aloud before frowning.

He left the e-book on the chair before looking at his lower torso section and frowning.

"What could be there? Eh… They say this area is very private, so… I guess I'll be more relaxed if I lock the door from the inside." He wondered before muttering aloud.

He walked over to it and spun the key on the keyhole twice to lock it up before returning to his position.

"I'll try taking off the arms and legs first…" He decided.

He removed the bodysuit around it and examined his limbs: they looked thin yet strong.

"I can't stop being amazed."

He then finally removed the lower body section and ended up naked: he blushed upon seeing his reflection and fixed his gaze on his stiff cock and balls.

"Eh… I better check the guide." He guessed.

He picked it up again and looked it up.

"The male reproductive organism… Generally named "penis", it has countless nicknames and bad words to it across the different strands of society… The lower organ contains the "testicles" which generate semen: it carries spermatozoids which allow for human reproduction once they make contact with a female ovule… It's normally used by males to secrete body fluids but can be used for play or interaction… Rubbing it will get it hard and it will eventually release "semen" or "cum". Stimulation of it may lead to a quick release while trying to force it to release while being plugged might inflict dangerous mental damage to the person undergoing it… Whoa…!" Sidier read aloud.

He left the book on the chair and closed his right hand around it to massage and rub that: he began to look taken on and he kept on rubbing it out of instinct.

"Huh… Huh…! HUH…!"

His breath began to labor and his cheeks turned red: he seemed to be losing focus to his sight.

"I feel… something… building up…!" He muttered.

He aimed his now hard cock upwards out of instinct and cried as he released and stained his upper body and face: one or two spurts fell into his open mouth.

"Huh… What?"

He sluggishly tried to walk forward only to collapse in top of his bed and lying face down on it while panting.

"Wow. Even while I'm a Navi… I can do that? It felt somewhat… I'm not sure… Relieving… Like all stress suddenly went off… Wow. So this is why people must wish "private time"… Kagehi – sama must've wanted me to let it out and relax… I should thank Her Grace tomorrow as soon as I wake up to go help Obihiro… And this doesn't taste bad, too…" He muttered while smiling.

He turned around and licked the liquid off his body before sucking his own fingers and enjoying the sensation: he formed his bodysuit over the waist section before he pulled the covers over him and turned off the light to let blackness fill the room.

_Let's sleep! Tomorrow will be THE day: STS Phase 1 can begin!_

"… Phew. I somehow managed to shake her off… I feel bad for Sidier, though, leaving him there…"

Solo was sitting in a Spartan – like room which only had a bed and nothing else and looked more like a meditation room: he was reading an e-comic from a pile of other e-comics set near the bed.

"At least these comics are cool…"

"… Tee, heh, heh, heh, heh…" A girl giggled.

"Oi! Dia Iceburn DS! Did ya put that lipstick there? Queen Virgo DS, my neechan, is pissed off AGAIN!" A guy protested.

"Not again…" Solo groaned.

"Who knows, Jackie Corvus DS?"

"Not "Jackie"! Jack Corvus DS!"

"Tee, heh, heh, heh, heh. John Corvus!"

"This gal…!"

"Did Rocky give you the shock treatment?"

"Spade Magnets DS? Don't mix the guy into this 'cause this whole deal is between you and me."

"Wanna have a hot night with me, _boy_?"

"You forced me to be your "dominatrix" buddy countless times already for 10 years! I'm running out of patience!" He grumbled.

"Tee, heh, heh, heh, heh. Maybe Acid Ace DS – sama would want to have a hot night with you instead?"

"I've had a lot of 'em too as well! And I don't care! What I care is that you should stop pissing off my neechan because she then gets hostile with me~! Gotcha, Dia?" He complained next.

"Poor Jack… He's the youngest here and the guys and gals pick him to play with his body… They can take off their armors and they have sex organs, yeah, because we updated their bodies... They develop some weird relations… Some are too big or machine-like to care about that so they aren't dragged into that either…" Solo rolled his eyes.

"If only Net Battles were like in _Pocket Monsters_ then Flame would beat Ice and you wouldn't be in control of me! One day I'll hack the Temple's VR so that you end up losing to Flame!" He threatened.

"Come anytime, _boy_. Tee, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

"Jeez. Poor Jack. Why do girls around here need to be that pesky and bully-like, picking on the young guys?" He wondered.

_This place grows crazier by the year!_


	16. Chapter 15: Information

**Chapter 15: Information**

08:14 AM (Japan Time), Sunday December the 18th…

"… I am glad to meet you again, Dr. Arachev."

"The pleasure is mine, Dr. Regal."

Dr. Arachev was a man on his forties, with blond hair and blue eyes: he also had some beard.

He wore a black suit over a white shirt, gray pants, white shoes and brown leather shoes.

He was talking with Dr. Regal in an outdoor café.

"You know… I got a rather odd call yesterday…"

"Is that really so?" Dr. Regal asked, intrigued.

"The caller went by the name of Mikhail Ivanovitch, and spoke in English with a bit of a Sharo accent… He asked me if the field in which I am specialized in, that is, super computers, has made big leaps lately. I replied to him that we on the Kanchev Research Institution thought that we could soon have a super computer capable of processing large volumes of data. He seemed very interested. He also asked about processing capacity, and I told him he'd need a big amount of it by combining several motherboards into racks and interlinking them together: such is how supercomputers are made… To keep it short: he knew his stuff. What hit me as odd was that I heard the word "combat data" in the background. Then it ended."

"Interesting. How much time did you spend talking?"

"About… Half an hour, three quarters..."

"Could I ask you a question?" Dr. Regal requested.

"But of course." Dr. Arachev replied.

"Could a supercomputer be built with the purpose of analyzing combat data and determine the best strategy to counter someone's battle patterns?"

"It's not impossible. If you provided it with the data and the parameters that it must use to analyze them, you could make it relatively easy. Of course, depending on how _much_ data you'd want it to analyze, you'd need lots of processing speed and to add a lot of processors… Maybe if you used compression algorithms then you'd be able to reduce the necessary amount of processing speed and capacity…"

"That's how it is…" Dr. Regal seemed to be very interested on it.

"Are you interested in building one yourself?" Dr. Arachev inquired.

"No, I was thinking about a coalition of people who seem to want to build such a thing… Wait. Was supercomputer tech being researched by any military in the seventies?"

"A branch of the Ameroupe military was researching on it back then." Dr. Arachev confirmed.

"Aha! This solves it… Could you integrate a computer which would rely on the main supercomputer in a vehicle or robot?"

"You could. Given how nowadays even cars have an onboard computer then that'd be a piece of a cake."

"Then we've got our answers…"

"Ah? Is that so?" Dr. Arachev looked surprised.

"You see… I think they want that supercomputer to control several mobile weapons and wage a conflict with them." Dr. Regal stated.

"My God!" Dr. Arachev turned pale.

"I know it's a terrific idea. But this is reality, Dr. Arachev."

"Then… What can we do? I suppose that weapon will be complete soon and it could prove deadly enough…" Dr. Arachev muttered.

"Please leave it to me. I'll report this to the Net Police: we'll stage preparations to deal with it."

"Ah… Thank you very much, Dr. Regal."

"It is nothing. Please call me if you get any more suspicious calls: we must try to track them."

"Please count on it. We'll meet again."

They both shook hands and then headed on different paths while Dr. Regal brought a hand to his chin.

"Laser Man. Contact Commissioner Kifune and request that he arranges for a meeting: we need to discuss this. Someone might be able to bring up further information." Dr. Regal commanded.

"Roger, Dr. Regal – sama." Laser Man replied.

"… Hum… Obihiro. Do you have a moment? I need to talk with you about a little something."

"Eh… Sure."

Sidier was speaking with Obihiro in one metallic corridor while sounds of machinery rang out close by.

"STS – Zero is 90% complete. Using nanomachines to do the job proved to be a good idea, as I had calculated." Death could be heard speaking close by.

"Heh, heh, heh. And the first unit of the supercomputer is already working on analyzing and coming up with the counters to the battle data we provided it with… It's just a matter of making individual files and lists all of the used Battle Chips: the program then searches the Battle Chip which can counter the attack on the database and tags it." Hunter Man could be heard chuckling.

Sidier and Obihiro entered the small bedroom while closing the door behind them: Sidier looked nervous, for once.

"Eh… Obihiro. It's normal for males to… Eh… _release_…?" He asked in a hushed tone while blushing.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. It's totally natural." Obihiro quickly replied.

"Ah… Then I can be relieved." He muttered with a hint of relief.

"You've been discovering yourself? I guess you must have some degree of "puberty" to your body… You don't look older than 13, and it's the age where guys and girls start "puberty", so… It must be part of it." Obihiro calmly told him.

"Hum… Say… Can… eh… the guys… use their… eh… organs… to… eh… do something with another guy? I think I heard something about it somewhere before…" Sidier asked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah. That's a quite common thing, but… Try to keep it secret. There's always been a lot of prejudice against those things and people who do tend to be labeled as "freaks", so… If you want to, I could give you some material I have on my computer… It'd be good enough graphical reference for you to use." Obihiro replied in a hushed tone as well.

"Ah… Thank you. I owe you one." Sidier thanked.

"Don't mind it. We're companions, after all."

"Yeah… I better get working on the next supercomputer cupboard… We need to add some of the components." Sidier scratched the back of his helmet and focused.

"And if I can guess it, I know how to make a good test drive for STS – Zero… Heh, heh, heh." Obihiro chuckled.

They exited the room and Sidier headed northwards while Obihiro walked towards the south and stepped into the main room: he spotted Death and Hunter Man looking at something.

"Good. It is receiving the encrypted signal from the supercomputer and its boot sequence has begun. It should be operational in less than 6 hours once we run all checks and diagnostics." Death was telling Hunter Man while sounding satisfied.

"Heh, heh, heh. We're gonna bring out a headache which is gonna make them consume aspirins en masse. And pain-killers too." Hunter Man chuckled.

"True, true! Heh, heh, heh, heh!"

08:48 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Morning. You guys have been trying out the lighting for this year's Christmas celebrations?"

"Rocky and Gemini Spark DS managed to upgrade the electrical systems at last."

"It took some convincing. But the result was worth it."

Solo was standing in a room somewhere.

This room was round and wide the ground was metallic and had some straight patterns drawn into it along with small circles and the walls were tall.

There was a ledge with the generator room's door further inside but the wall was too smooth to be climbed: there were some alcoves and balconies present as well.

A red beam of energy was being shot southwards across the skies: the room had no ceiling.

Solo was speaking with two Navis standing in front of him.

"Heh! Acid Ace DS tells you we're lucky~!"

The Navi by the name of Acid Ace DS looked close to a meter and ninety in height and their main color of choice was black.

They had partial black armor over their forehead but the face and the grayish skin were rather unshielded: the top was open too and the sides only had two gun-like pieces of armor aiming backwards and running over the red ear-pads: a small "tail" like in a plane popped out behind his head as well while armor shielded the nose.

Their eyes were simple reddish spots although his "normal" skin could be seen on the slot carved for the mouth.

His chest had a bulky piece of armor shaped like a triangle aiming forward and the top of it had a black and red crest which read "AA" written there: two red lines marked the half of the side-armor height.

The upper half was black in color and the lower one purple: there were two small exhausts set next to the ear-pads and two wing-like extensions formed from behind them.

Another two wings were built over the shoulders: they had a red lower edge, a purple main body, a golden stripe, and a blackish segment: they looked like they could be spun on their axis.

The shoulders also had two colors: purple and black, in the inner and outer halves respectively, along with two red circles on their lower ends: some grayish armor with golden edges covered the forearms and a bracelet with a small wing extension had been built circling the wrists: the hands' skin was black.

The outer face of the legs also had that grayish armor made of segments with the golden edges and knee plating: the boots ended in black triangles, one over the ankle and the other over the foot: another wing with a red stripe atop it popped out from there.

He also carried a grayish-armored black energy gun with a curious design on his right hand.

"And Grave Joker DS tells you about pure raw strength!"

His partner, Grave Joker DS, was way taller than his companion, beating him by over a full meter.

His main color was blood red and his face's skin was teal in color: purplish transparent shades covered his reddish – irises eyes along with some thin gray armor set over his head, the sides of it, and around his jaw: two large red ear-pads were set on the sides of his head too.

His main torso was colored in a shade of brown and had golden edges and marks drawing a circle with a blade-like extension heading downwards: two small curved stripes headed inwards from a thicker golden edge which set the boundary with the shoulders: the central torso's shade of brown was more pallid than the rest of the main body.

The shoulders had two large curved pieces with a main red body, a golden stripe and a black top which looked like weapons.

They had a small red triangle aiming downwards on their outer edge close to the top and another stripe heading for the main body.

His arms and hands' skin was purple and the forearms' armor was red in color along with the golden edges: the cuff was black.

Another two red and golden-edged sections climbed up along the sides and fell slightly short of the shoulders: the legs had that same drawing on the outer edges while the inner ones were plain.

Grayish armor ran down the legs near the rear edge and then ran along a stretch of the foot until it formed an arch: a brownish patch of armor was located on the rear of the feet while the fingers were covered by some slight armor.

"Acid Ace DS and Grave Joker DS… The Chiefs of the Fortress Tribe… Been a while! I arrived yesterday but I didn't get to see you guys because I wanted to relax in my quarters." Solo told them.

"Heh, heh, heh. It'd seem your friend is on the mood to play Empress as of late, Solo." Acid Ace DS told him.

"Yeah. And that's why ya bothered to come to camp here." Grave Joker DS grinned.

"Don't tell me… Anyway… STS is about to begin Phase 1." Solo rolled his eyes before he sighed.

"Oh? Interesting." Acid Ace DS smiled.

"Those "Net Saviors" will be sweating a lot." Grave Joker DS chuckled.

"By the way… Have you tried tackling on the challenge in the basement caves which hold the foundations? It's the sneaky type."

"Yeah! It was fun. We cornered that Mettool Chief but his warriors tried to overwhelm us with sheer numbers. I managed to lift the helmet and we then blew it up." Grave Joker DS admitted.

"Emperor S – sama had a bright idea: it was to be expected." Acid Ace DS sounded satisfied.

"So? Are we gonna have a thrill?" Solo asked.

"Yeah! Let's go for it!" Acid Ace DS cocked his gun.

"I'm ready for anything!" Grave Joker DS swung his arms.

"Gotcha. Battle Form: Engage!" Solo announced.

A red sphere of energy surrounded his body before it faded away to reveal a new battle-suit which had formed over his normal body.

His new form had a helmet which had been painted using a black and red color-scheme: it was a partial guard given how it revealed his hair in its entirety which was flying straight upwards in a wild and chaotic manner.

The helmet had a pair of transparent purple shapes and having the shape of the Alphabet letter "X" which seemed to be layered across his helmet while his throat was guarded by a silver neck-guard, somewhat similar to a gorget: his ear-pads were small greenish domes.

He wore a smooth and plain black cat suit which began at his jaw line with his robe's emblem drawn over his chest while now being colored in a crimson red color: the catsuit ran uninterrupted along each limb until reaching the elbows and knees.

Starting from those spots, and, with the exception of his right arm, they were further covered in solid-looking black armor: and this black armor was further alloyed with a red slotted coil with a single red spine forming around the left wrist plus the feet ankles.

He also bore two knobbed spaulders made of what seemingly was the same material over his shoulders to protect them.

His right arm, by comparison, bore a thick black bracelet circling around the wrist: it turned his right fist and forearm into a mass of burning purple flames the brightness of which was constantly shifting.

"And please call me Burai DS by now." He announced.

"Sure."

"Gotcha."

"Oho. Wait. Come out, blade!"

Burai DS suddenly drew a sword from _inside_ of his right flaming fist and brandished the thing.

This sword had a reddish hilt with yellowish ends: the blade had an indentation running across most of its height which began as a thin cone-like form, spread into a circle having a greenish dot in the middle, and ended close to the edge: the blade was shaped like a trapeze with diagonal sides and had some grade of thickness to it unlike _katana_ or normal swords.

"Kogarashi!"

"Giant Buildings!"

"Hah!"

Acid Ace DS shot a small green tornado towards Burai DS while Grave Joker DS punched the ground and materialized three tall and metallic prism-shaped blocks with red patterns drawn into them: they fell into the ground and made maneuvering hard.

"Let's go~!"

Burai DS suddenly warped and reappeared at mere inches from Acid Ace DS: he swung his sword in a wide 180º angle but Acid Ace DS had alredy jumped backwards and into the air.

"Giza Wheel X!"

"Grave Swing!"

Acid Ace DS shot a small brown buzz saw-like disc while Grave Joker DS swung his fists around while trying to hit Burai DS: both attacks collided with a blue round transparent shield the outer rim of which was filled with runes.

"Burai Rejection. And now… Hah!" He grinned.

He warped and fell down from above while hitting the ground with the blade.

"Hah!"

Columns of purple energy came out of the ground north, east and west of his blade's position: both Navis dodged just in time.

"Heh. 0:59 and no – one got hurt yet. This is gonna be one of those adrenaline-filled battles." Burai DS grinned.

"Yeah! Grave Missile!"

"Daba Flame X!"

Grave Joker DS summoned about fifteen missiles aligned in three rows having five missiles each while Acid Ace DS shot a stream of fire shaped like the Alphabet "T" character towards Burai DS.

"Flying Knuckles!"

Burai DS' right fist shone and several purple fists formed and began to fly out: they intercepted the missiles while Burai DS jumped into the air to dodge the other attack.

"01:33! I guess the real show starts here!" He announced.

"Oh yeah! Bring it on!" Acid Ace DS challenged.

"It's time to get serious!" Grave Joker DS added.

"Wing Blade!"

"Grave Laser!"

"Burai Break!"

Acid Ace DS ignited some thrusters on his back and sped across the ground towards Burai DS while Grave Joker loaded up his cannons and shot a powerful red blast of energy towards the adversary.

"Yikes!"

Burai DS merely warped and appeared in front of Acid Ace DS: he delivered a four-hit combo to him and caused him to stop his attack and fall into the ground.

"Huh!"

Burai DS warped and Grave Joker DS' attack shot past the spot he'd been at a second ago.

"Unh… The four hit combo… It's as powerful as always!" Acid Ace DS muttered with a hint of amusement.

"Huh! As fast as always…!" Grave Joker DS muttered.

"Hra~h!"

Burai DS jumped down from above and hit Grave Joker DS' chest with his sword: Grave Joker DS pushed him off and grinned while Acid Ace DS recovered.

"Yeah… This is your serious mood! Let's go! Grave Laser!"

"Long Sword!"

Burai DS brought up his barrier and managed to block off Acid Ace DS' incoming attack but the Grave Laser swept through him and he hissed as he tried to hold his ground.

"Huff… Huff… That attack keeps on being as powerful as always… Well then… Let's rush it up!" He panted and grinned.

"Climax!" Acid Ace DS grinned.

"Destroy it all!" Grave Joker DS roared.

The three of them jumped into the air and spread around the room while forming a triangle before running towards each other.

"Grave Swing!"

"Wing Blade!"

"Burai Swing!"

Burai DS swung his blade again while ducking to dodge Grave Joker DS' attack: but Acid Ace DS rammed into him and continued until he got stuck into one of the walls.

"Heh, heh, heh… That's the spirit! Let's go!" Burai DS chuckled.

He broke free and warped into the air before dropping down while plunging his right fist forward.

"Guoh!"

His fist entered into Grave Joker DS' body and he closed it: Grave Joker DS suddenly became limp and fell into the ground while Burai DS jumped away and landed on the ground to face Acid Ace DS and his custom gun which he cocked.

"Classical. But I won't make it easy, Burai DS." Acid Ace DS commented.

"I won't, either." Burai DS replied with a grin.

"Acid Gun!"

"Flying Knuckles!"

Burai DS ignored the multiple bullets hitting him and bombarded his opponent with the Flying Knuckles, kicking him into the ground: Burai DS wasted no time and quickly hit him with the sword, thus leaving him out of the fight.

"… 03:37… Last time it was 04:04, so… I've cut it down for a bit ever since then." He muttered.

"Hah… Good fight! It was totally worth it! Mwhah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" Grave Joker DS exclaimed.

"Hmpf… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. Burai DS loves adrenaline rushes." Acid Ace DS chuckled.

"I do. And the guys out there will soon get one which is gonna be way too much for 'em to handle." Burai DS confirmed.

"Yeah. And let's hope we can stop Dia from pestering Jack too."

"Sure… She's overdoing it this year." Grave Joker DS sighed.

"I know… Poor Jack... Anyway… Things are gonna get hectic and chaotic out there… Heh, heh, heh, heh!"


	17. Chapter 16: Prototype

**Chapter 16: Prototype**

08:18 AM (Barcelona Time), Sunday December the 18th…

"… Status: online."

"Bravo!"

"Heh, heh, heh!"

"Splendid."

Death, Sidier, Hunter Man and Obihiro were gathered around something inside of the factory-like room of their base.

"It _will_ have some flaws: we speeded it up a lot, after all. But we shall learn from them and improve them." Death announced.

"Obviously: such is how humanity's history has worked like ever since the ancient ages." Obihiro grinned.

"Net Saviors… Crave your own graves…" Hunter Man muttered in a sinister tone of voice.

"The _Naraku_ is awaiting you guys." Sidier added.

"… So?"

"Ah… STS – Zero is complete… Kagehi – sama."

"Tee, heh, heh."

Sidier had returned to the throne room only to find Somari still sitting down on it and writing something on the notebook.

"Okay. Go ahead and open the gates of Hell. Sakurai will soon be cursing that I made her sweat and I ruined her make-up." Somari giggled.

"Ah… Roger." Sidier gulped.

"… Battle Chip, Shotgun! Slot In!"

"Shotgun!"

"Battle Chip, Spread Gun! Slot In!"

"Spread Gun!"

Rock Man was facing off against a normal Navi in the Game Center "Game Soul": he aimed the shotgun's three cursors and shot thrice: the shots hit the Navi before he could shoot his spread gun.

"Battle Chip, Triple Bomb! Slot In!"

"Triple Bomb!"

Rock Man threw it at the Navi and the resulting explosion forced him to logout due to the attained damage.

"Yeah! My 3rd serial victory…!" Netto grinned.

"Whoa. That guy is cool!" One Net Battler told his partner.

"I get the feeling like I've seen 'im somewhere else…" The other frowned.

"Guess I'm not too good yet… Bye." The defeated Battle shrugged.

Netto grinned and looked rather boastful: Saito glanced at him with a recriminating look and Netto quickly changed behavior.

"Eh… Who wants more?" He challenged.

"I'll go." A guy announced.

"Fine."

"Go! Plug In! Clayton, Transmission!"

A standard Navi with a mean look to him entered the system and Rock Man immediately assumed combat pose.

"Go! Clayton! Beat that punk!" The Operator commanded.

"Hah! No – one can defeat the great me!" Clayton boasted.

"That remains to be seen." Rock Man calmly replied.

"Hum… A huge mole, so… Battle Chip, Ice Cannon Ball! Slot In!" Netto announced.

"What the…!" The Operator cursed.

Rock Man threw the Ice Cannon Ball at the ground and it became frozen although Clayton jumped into the air to dodge that.

"Battle Chip, Elec Sword! Slot In!" Netto announced next.

"No way!" The Operator yelled.

Rock Man calmly plunged the Elec Sword on the ground before using it as a base to jump into the air while detaching it: the whole frozen ground was electrocuted and Clayton, distracted with trying to shoot Rock Man, got electrocuted.

"Gya~h!"

He collapsed on his knees while smoking but Rock Man gave him no pause since he'd already charged up the Rock Buster.

"Charge Shot!"

The blast hit him fully and was retrieved.

"No way!" The Operator cursed again.

"… You're the show-off type who picks on weak people by claiming to be strong. They get nervous and then you use some cheap moves to win over them. But that's not a true Net Battle: that's cheating. Hmpf!" Netto deduced.

"Bothersome meddling guy!" He growled.

"That's my motto: or so I have been told." An amused voice rang out.

"Damn." Rock Man hissed.

"I know who's there." Netto grumbled.

"_Sidier_." Both announced.

In effect: Sidier had showed up inside of the battling machine and Rock Man was aiming his Rock Buster at him.

"Heh, heh, heh. Rock Man! Hikari Netto! You two shall be our unwilling guinea pigs for our experiment."

"What?"

"Ah… But there's no need to move from that spot, either." Sidier announced.

"Spit it out." Rock Man demanded.

"Why don't I let _it_ show up in a dramatic manner?" Sidier suggested with a broad grin.

"STS, you mean?" Netto gasped.

"Bravo, Hikari. It would seem Ijuuin has been teaching you how to play detective." Sidier mocked.

"Che."

"And where is that robot at?" Rock Man demanded.

"It's on its way here. I'm afraid Death will have it make a dramatic entrance: he's fond of dramas which end in a grim manner." Sidier shrugged.

"Wasn't it obvious?" Netto shot back.

"Ask Grim Reaper – sama." Sidier challenged.

"We're not in the mood to." Rock Man replied.

"Ah… Cool, composed, guts… I guess Search Man has been teaching you some lessons to stay cool. And Guts Man allowed you to take off his "Guts" so he became "Gorilla" Man, or so Kagehi – sama told me last time around. Her Grace knows it all, it'd seem…" Sidier brought a hand to his chin.

"Very funny." Netto drily told him.

"Whatever. You're uglier than a Dream Virus." Rock Man added with a smug grin.

"… I feel bad. I'm off." Sidier didn't look amused by now.

He snapped his right hand's fingers and vanished.

"What now?"

Something suddenly hit the ceiling from the outside with violence and the building shook: the fluorescent lights flickered and everyone began to look there while muttering.

"Shit." Netto growled.

"Coming…!" Rock Man cursed.

There was another hit and some dust began to fall off the ceiling while most of the visitors began to run off: the fluorescent lights went off and only the emergency lights illuminated the area.

"What the hell is that thing?" Netto cursed.

"Dunno. But it's trying to break through the ceiling."

The ceiling suddenly shattered: a pile of concrete segments and dust fell inside of the room, crushing the Net Battle Machine and forcing Netto to jump away: something heavy landed on top of the pile of debris and some dust formed which swept the area.

"Targets located: currently engaging." A robotic voice announced.

Netto stood up and stared at a humanoid robot.

Its face was a purple helmet with black rectangular shades: red dots or eyes shone from behind that.

The enemy had gray body and armor and carried two built – in guns on both arms while a jet pack was attached to its back.

The legs were colored white looked strong.

It seemed to be close to a meter and ninety tall.

"That's STS, then…!" Netto muttered.

"It looks like a Boba Feet wannabe." Saito sarcastically muttered.

"Unit STS – Zero. Targets ID: Hikari Netto and Rock Man EXE. Orders: Annihilate."

"Wha!" Netto and Saito gasped.

Netto dodged two volleys of machine gun fire which left holes across the walls: everyone ran out of the Game Center in the meanwhile.

"Meijin – san! Please deploy a "Dimensional Area"!

"_San wa iranai!_ Dimensional Area, Activate!"

The "Dimensional Area" soon covered the building.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Netto and Saito performed "Cross Fusion" before facing the robot: "CF" Netto drew the Rock Buster.

"Battle Chip, Barrier."

"Rock Buster!"

The shots bounced off the Barrier and "CF" Netto cursed something under his breath.

"Battle Chip, Flame Sword! Hra~h!"

"CF" Netto rushed towards the robot, which didn't bother to move from its current spot.

"Battle Chip, Aqua Sword."

"CF" Netto clashed against the Aqua Sword: both evaporated and caused steam to fill the area.

"Battle Chip, Tank Cannon!"

"Battle Chip, Curse Shield."

The Tank Cannon blast bounced off and hit "CF" Netto given the close proximity and the lack of time to react: he was propelled towards a wall and got stuck there.

"D-damn!" He cursed.

"Netto – kun! Cool it off!" Rock Man told him.

"I'm trying to!" He growled.

"You aren't. Breathe deeply." Rock Man replied.

"STS Machinegun: Double Mode. Fire." The robot announced.

"Huh! Battle Chip, Area Steal!"

"CF" Netto warped out just as the robot bombarded the spot where he'd been at with machinegun fire.

"Battle Chip, Dream Aura."

"Battle Chip, Hell's Burner!"

The Hell's Burner bounced off the Dream Aura and hit "CF" Netto instead, causing some burnt marks to show up on his bodysuit.

"See! You're nervous, Netto – kun! Calm down!" Rock Man insisted.

"Che! This thing…!" He cursed.

They didn't spot the two Net Battlers from before hiding behind a drink vending machine.

"I told you I'd seen the guy somewhere else… He's Hikari Netto, the N1 Gran Prix's Sub Champion over two years ago!" One told the other.

"… W-w-wow. But what's that strange "fusion" thing? How does it work like?" The other wondered.

"I've heard rumors… They say "Net Saviors" are given a unique Chip which allows them to fuse with their Navi inside of this weird space… So the guy is a "Net Savior", too…" The first guy told his partner.

"Cool! But… What's that robot doing? It only seems to bring out all Chips which counter the one he uses… And something tells me it's serious and not some joke." He frowned.

"Well… I've read that you can design a counter-strategy by looking up footage and picking off the used Battle Chips… You then look up their counters and make a list of them. I guess that robot must be programmed to act like that." The expert suggested.

"So that's what it means… Let's keep on seeing: this is a once in a lifetime chance!" The novice grinned.

"Yeah. But didn't that other guy's name, "Sidier", ring a bell?" The expert frowned.

"… Battle Chip, Golden Fist!"

"Battle Chip, Area Steal, Fire Blade."

"CF" Neto tried to hit the robot, but he warped and reappeared behind "CF" Netto while aiming to plunge the Fire Blade into him from behind.

"Huh!"

"CF" Netto quickly dived into the ground towards the right and rolled to get a safe distance before standing up.

"Battle Chip, Shotgun!"

"Battle Chip, Stone Cube."

"CF" Netto tried to shoot at it, but the Stone Cubes formed around the robot and shielded him.

"Shit. Is there no end to this?" He cursed.

"Try changing the stage." Rock Man suggested.

"It's worth a try… Battle Chip, Magma Seed!"

"Battle Chip, Aqua Tower."

The Aqua Tower hit the Magma Seed and caused the sudden boiling of both of them: the area was filled with steam.

"Scan Mode: Activate!" "CF" Netto commanded.

He looked around and spotted the robot trying to creep from behind while still having the Fire Blade.

"Gotcha." "CF" Netto muttered.

"Target: eliminated."

The robot hit "CF" Netto but a cloud of smoke ensued and a _chibi_ doll showed up there instead.

"Beep?"

Three _shuriken_ rained down and hit the jetpack: they got embedded there and caused that part of the robot's body to frizzle and spark.

"Hah! Take that!" "CF" Netto exclaimed as he landed some meters away from the robot.

"… Damage report: start. Status: rear jetpack attacked. Consequences: usage of jetpack may worsen rear condition. Recommendation: switch off jetpack systems." It announced.

"Now or never… Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon! Shoot!" "CF" Netto muttered.

"Battle Chip, Curse Shield."

However, the Giga Cannon's blast shattered the Curse Shield and the robot tried to ignite the jetpack.

"Beep! Tactical mistake!"

The jetpack suddenly frizzled and detonated at the same time the Giga Cannon's blast impacted upon the chest armor: the resulting smoke hid the robot.

"… Did that do it?" "CF" Netto wondered.

The smoke cleared: the robot was still standing but its whole body was frizzling: a hole had opened on the back because of the jetpack's explosion and another gaping hole was located on the chest: a super energy core could be spotted inside of it.

"Careful, Netto – kun. It may still be able to function."

"Yeah. I know." He replied.

"Kzzz… Damage report: start… Kzzzz… Status: rear jetpack missing… Armor breach… Kzzz… Front armor breach… Kzzz… Core exposed… Kzzz…"

"Oh. Shut up and die."

"Danger level: 3. Course of action: tactical withdrawal is preferable to destruction in battle… Kzzz…" The robot muttered.

A purple swirling rift formed and the robot quickly ran inside of it before it closed immediately afterwards.

"… Meijin – san. The area is secure." "CF" Netto reported.

"_San wa iranai_." Meijin replied.

The "Dimensional Area" faded and Netto picked the reformed Link PET before he looked at the destruction caused by the battle.

"… STS…" He grimly muttered.

"… How does it look like, Death?"

"Hum. The degree of damage is something. But it can be repaired nevertheless. We will use this one as test drive before producing some more units."

Sidier was speaking with Death: he was examining the damaged robot as it was placed face-up on an examination table: Death sounded calm while Sidier had a poker face on.

"Heh, heh, heh. I'm sure they must be hoping we take some days to deploy it back." Hunter Man chuckled.

"Obviously." Obihiro grinned.

"Good. I'll go report. See you guys around." Sidier sounded satisfied.

"Time to begin repairs: bring the equipment." Death commanded.

Sidier dematerialized while Hunter Man brought a heavy box with several components inside of there.

"Huff. This babe's heavy."

Both he and Death began to mark the damaged spots while Obihiro prepared a list.

"… Ta – dan!"

"Oh! Eh… Harp Note DS – sama."

Sidier had returned to the throne room to find that Somari had activated her own "Battle Form" too.

This new form consisted on a purple-colored one-piece-bodysuit which extended until the hips and ended in a skirt-like form: two small curved objects were placed over her shoulders and the upper part of her bodysuit (extending from the shoulders until the chest) was colored black: it had no peculiar decoration drawn into its surface.

A blackened scarf was wrapped around her neck and it extended until the ground.

The helmet's main color was black and it had the same "broken heart" drawing was set on the forehead: two purple round button-like objects emerged from the sides of the head plus a purple band which formed the lower edge of the helmet: thick red-colored shades covered her eyes but exposed her nose.

Her reddish hair fell down the sides of her head and stopped slightly over the shoulders.

A red blood heart with a crack on the middle was set on the middle of her chest thus combining the upper half of her body with the bodysuit: two thin purple lines travelled down from the skull's SW and SE edges until the end of the bodysuit.

Her arms were covered by a combination of purple and black bands which extended until the wrists, which were covered by golden armor: it consisted of a thinner piece at the start plus a larger piece below it which had a small button drawn into the north side of it: the hands' skin was tinted using purple coloring.

The space between the bodysuit end and knees' start had black "skin".

The boots' armor began at the knees with black armor having purple pyramid-like drawings set over them.

The boots had no peculiar decoration whatsoever and they ended in white edges on the very front.

"I wanted to take it out for a test drive, too. I saw the robot's performance and I sent footage to both Saruba and Solo. That thing was worth it: and it'll be better by just working on it a few days." She announced while she toyed with her guitar's strings.

"Ah. Eh… Should I continue to assist on the development of them for the time being?" Sidier asked while bowing.

"Yeah. Ah. By the way… If you wanna play with someone, I'd say Solo would do fine."

"Ah…" Sidier blushed.

"I learned back on middle school: I don't peek in rooms." Harp Note DS reminded him.

"Eh… I understand." He quickly saluted.

"Tee, heh, heh. Ah. Hear out my new lyrics before that. Maybe you'll find something subtle on them." Harp Note DS announced.

Sidier stood firm and gulped while she cleared her throat.

"… _There was a _baka _guy named Pharaoh Man who was totally crazy~! He blew his own hide up and then regenerated 'cause he wanted to into a 150cm tall Net Navi who an old geezer named Wily gave the name Forte~! Dunno why he thought Forte was a good name~! Forte from strong and from miniature walking fortress, who cares? 'Cause the guy was amnesiac and he had to play mind reader to figure who the hell he was! And he then tried to play the royal by using "ware" but quickly switched to "ore" 'cause he wanted to play the cool guy~!_"

Sidier closed his eyes and tried to endure it because Harp Note DS was purposely not tuning well the guitar to make loud piercing noises.

"_He tried eating an oversized dog's data but it was bad for his stomach 'cause he broke down into bits and bytes which were then eaten by the dog!" _

_It's a torture: this is what it is!_

"_Ah! But the guy was able to resurrect again 'cause he had a "Raise Dead" ready on his right sleeve and he picked an ugly robot's body to then tell "screw ya, geezer, I'm off" to the old geezer named Wily~! He then began and keeps playing double-identity superhero who wants to have a thrill by busting some guts! Mr. Freeze will one day tell 'im he's fed with working with such low salary and tell 'im he's gonna go work for Blofeld instead, ya see~!_"

She then stopped and laughed aloud at her own song while Sidier rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat: Harp Note DS had some strange moods which were impossible to handle.

"And that's all."

"M-magnificent, ma'am." He saluted.

"Tee, heh, heh, heh. I'm gonna win the _Operación Triumfo_ contest, 2007 Edition!" She giggled.

"Operation Triumph?"

"A music contest held in Spain but I think it's on decadence: then I'll go take part in the Euro-Vision Edition 2007! Tee, heh, heh!"

"I s-see. Good luck, ma'am."

"Good luck with Bright Man."

"I thought he was dead."

"His ghost haunts the corridor 'cause I set it to sing _"check it out"_ in your dreams, ya see~!"

"I'm skeptical, ma'am. I would've stumbled upon it by now."

"Tee, heh, heh, heh. Anyway… Let's guitar a marshal!"

"Guitar a marshal? And how do we do that, ma'am?" He looked rather skeptical by now.

"Dunno! Try it out yourself, _fella_. Tee, heh, heh, heh!"


	18. Chapter 17: Reflection

**Chapter 17: Reflection**

16:58 PM (Japan Time), Sunday December the 18th…

"… Netto! Are you alright?"

"Yeah…"

Netto walked into the Science Labs' main room and Yuuichirou ran to check on him: Netto looked troubled but had no injury.

"Thank goodness! Meijin told me you were fighting a robot which kept on countering everything you threw at it and I got worried… What was that thing?" Yuuichirou asked.

"STS." Saito announced as he materialized.

"What! Then it was like Dr. Regal told us: a robot remotely controlled by a supercomputer!"

"And they built it in just four days… The Navis must've been working on 24 hours without almost breaks to get it ready." Meijin muttered.

"Yeah… I managed to leave it unable to battle thanks to the _Kawarimi_ Battle Chip and that it tried to use a Curse Shield against a Program Advance, but… They'll fix that before they send it out again." Netto admitted but then sighed.

He picked a chair and sat down on it while looking unhappy or depressed given how he leaned his head on the desk.

"Damn. I should've tried to stop it from running away so that we could've dissected it and try to find out where they are at." Netto cursed with frustration on his voice.

"I doubt such data being on it: they'd only bother to put the combat program and damage report data."

"But we'd know the frequency of the supercomputer and we could track it down!" Netto argued back.

"What's done is done. We can't go back and change it, otouto."

"Yeah. Netto. Don't be depressed. We'll get an opportunity sooner or later… What matters now is that you're safe. We must report this to everyone and have their Battle Chip strategies checked to see how they should handle like…" Yuuichirou told him.

"Papa…"

"Come on. Otouto. Don't get depressed. Cheer up." Saito tried to encourage him.

"Saito – niisan… Ah… Okay…"

"Just think of the last three days of the trimester ahead and that we'll finally be able to spend the Christmas together, the four of us." Saito told him with a smile.

"Oh! True, true!" Netto looked thrilled.

"It'll be a nice winter. And I'm sure even those guys will be rational enough to give us a little break." Yuuichirou added.

"Guess I'll have to go get the _ramen_ knockout before it sells off…" Meijin muttered while smiling.

"I'm into it, too!"

"Heh, heh! That's the gluttony outouto I know!" Saito teased.

"Oi! I'm not "gluttony": I'm a food maniac!" Netto protested.

"They're the same thing." Yuuichirou told him.

"No way!" Netto groaned.

"Heh, heh, heh." Saito chuckled.

"Please gimme a break, Papa!"

"You'll have it on Wednesday with the first term's end. I hope your notes will be good enough." Yuuichirou told him.

"I'm sure they will. Otouto's been working hard on 'em." Saito smiled.

"I have!"

17:09 PM (Japan Time)…

"… You. Speak."

"Yikes!"

Miyabi was interrogating a suspicious – looking man by threatening him with the sharp side of a _katana_.

"Who's your Boss?" Miyabi demanded.

"C-Caiman!" The man uttered.

"Hmpf. Caiman… There's a bounty on that one's head set by the Gunma Prefecture Police… Where is he at?"

"D-dunno!" The man replied.

"This is real." He warned.

"Yikes! The old sushi factory by the sea…!" The man gasped.

"Hmpf. Run."

"Yikes!"

The man ran away while Miyabi holstered the _katana_: his Link PET beeped and he frowned.

"Miyabi. Mail." Shadow Man announced.

"From who…?" Miyabi asked.

"…"Empress"…" Shadow Man read.

"I don't know any "Empress" unless it's another S&M witch. Which I despise: I know what they did to Hikari Netto's companions a month ago…!" Miyabi didn't sound amused in the least.

"Huh… The contents don't look like it… It seems to be a self-made song's lyrics, but… They're so silly." Shadow Man added.

"Bring it up." Miyabi commanded.

"Roger."

"… What the… "_There was a _Sengoku Ninja_ family descendant named Dark Miyabi who by using both his _katana _and _wazabi_ slaughtered a hundred mercenaries before drinking their blood 'cause he was Dracula~! Dracula reincarnated and alive~! That was that guy's true identity~! He then tried to protect his Lord but he betrayed 'im and called Hero – sama~! Hero – sama jumped into the stage and shot a _Silver Bullet _at Dracula's reincarnation burnin' him up and nothing remained! The Lord then picked the _wasabi _and killed Hero – sama 'cause he wanted to be the new villain in charge of the drama~! The story ended there~!_" … Who the hell wrote such a thing?" Miyabi cursed.

"Tee, heh, heh. Maybe I would?" A voice rang out.

Miyabi looked at a nearby wall to see Harp Note DS standing on it: her image was transparent, clearly revealing that it was a hologram.

"Kagehi." He muttered.

"I'm very flattered! Dark – sama remember Empress Kagehi – sama's name! Tee, heh, heh! Wanna brawl with the _Queen_ – sama?" Harp Note DS giggled.

"Queen – sama…?" Miyabi wondered.

"Come! Queen – sama!" Harp Note DS commanded.

A gigantic Spark Bee and a swarm of normal-sized ones filled the crossroad and Miyabi cursed under his breath.

"This is so that ya can heat up before we send out the next machine! _Bye – bye_!" She giggled.

The hologram faded away while Miyabi dodged the electrical attacks shot by the Spark Bees.

"Science Labs! I need a "Dimensional Area"!" Miyabi called out.

"I see the situation! Dimensional Area: Activate!" Meijin replied.

"Come, you monster. Your pitiful remains will plunge into the _Naraku_ forever." Shadow Man challenged.

"Not again… Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!" Miyabi muttered before starting the "Cross Fusion" sequence.

"CF" Miyabi showed up on scene and quickly drew his two swords.

"Shadow Blade!"

He quickly cut through the small Spark Bees and jumped on top of a street light to face the "Queen": it aimed its sting at "CF" Miyabi and shot an electrical blast which blew the street light up.

"Huh!"

"CF" Miyabi jumped into the air and landed on its back.

"Sneak Attack!"

He made four cuts and clipped off the wings: the Virus hit the floor and made a deep crater on the ground: "CF" Miyabi then plunged both swords into its forehead and it blew up.

"Hmpf. No big deal…" He muttered.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Then you'll get a nice challenge on Tuesday which will make you sweat."

"CF" Miyabi turned around and spotted Sidier casually standing on the same spot Harp Note DS had been at while sporting that red mantle: he had his arms folded and looked amused.

"You! Come and fight!" "CF" Miyabi challenged.

"I don't have a permit to do that. But maybe there's something you're forgetting about? My hint is: it contains the Alphabet character H. Best regards!" Sidier grinned at him.

He snapped his right hand's fingers and vanished in that flashy manner as the "Dimensional Area" was cancelled and Miyabi picked the reformed Link PET: he frowned.

"H? Damn. Gotta hurry or else…!" He cursed.

"The police are rounding up the grunt and his boss by now."

"Ah. Then there was no need to hurry." Miyabi sighed in relief.

"Besides… Yuriko was in charge of that today." Shadow Man reminded him.

"Che. That one fooled me. Anyway… Let's go talk with Dr. Wily. He may have an idea of how to deal with those robots."

"Roger."

"… What? Robots which can counter any battle pattern…? Damn. I should've come up with that."

"When will you stop saying "I should've come up with that" since you know you'd never think of it?"

"Hmpf!"

"Man."

Tesla got another of her moods when Airstar told her the news: she played the offended while Airstar sighed in defeat.

"Oh boy…" Gyro Man muttered.

"How could we have thought of that, anyway?" Magnet Man shrugged and didn't seem to care.

"Magnet Man! You're conspiring!" Tesla blurted.

"Eh…! No! Tesla – sama! I shall not present any excuses!" He quickly replied.

"Tesla! Accept reality: there are smart people out there." Gauss told her as he walked in to cleanse.

"But! Father! They are making a fool of me!" Tesla protested.

"No, they aren't. I always recognized that Wily – sama was more of a genius than I was." Gauss replied.

"Dr. Wily is your obsession, so…" Tesla shrugged.

"This daughter of mine…!"

17:17 PM (Japan Time)…

"… North!"

"East!"

"North!"

"East!"

"No…!"

"Stop that already!"

"Jeez."

"Che."

Dingo was trying to insist of heading north while Tomahawk Man was correcting him before he lost his patience.

"The GPS says it: go east!" Tomahawk Man growled.

"The G-something is broken! Totem – sama says north!" Dingo argued.

"This guy…! Behave yourself!" Tomahawk Man yelled.

"Che!" Dingo grumbled.

"You're so stubborn…! I wish Netto hit you on the head with something to straighten you up! Look! If you don't act properly, Maha will finally run out of patience and fire ya!" Tomahawk Man growled.

"No way! East, east, east!" Dingo gasped.

"This guy… Gotta straighten 'im out or else we won't get anywhere at all in life… Man… I'm cursed. I know it." He grimly muttered.

"Guess Dekao's to blame…"

"Yeah. Dekao's to blame: there's no mistaking it."

"Gotta hurry, gotta hurry!"

"Prove to Shanka you're a worthy dude!"

17:24 PM (Japan Time)…

"… So! Has Crown Thunder DS earned his lesson, Ox Fire DS?"

"So it would seem, Saruba – dono."

Saruba had come to another room somewhere while having his "Battle Form" on to talk with someone.

His "Battle Form" wasn't too "spectacular" but the design was a bit elaborated: purple was the dominant color.

The helmet had a black central stripe with a bronze-colored hexagon set there and a small "V" piece slightly beneath that: the sides of it were colored purple and had two small square holes near the ear-pads which were colored blood red and had a bronze edge: two triangles emerged from the SW and NE positions but the second was larger.

Reddish transparent shades covered his eyes and allowed one to see his golden and red irises-eyes below them: most of his face was exposed but the SW triangle provided slight protection for the sides: his silver hair flew out from behind while forming a crest.

His chest had a small square plate with a curved lower end which had that shooting star emblem set there: apart from that the rest of the chest lacked any important armor.

The shoulder plates were divided into six stripes: three per each shoulder's half with the two central ones being colored silver and the outer ones purple: a black stripe crossing through the central stripes contained a glowing bronze energy pattern there.

The forearms had two curved extensions coming out from the under-side and began as a thick circle which then gave way to a thinner cylinder and a gray band around the wrist: his hands' skin was black.

Two parallel golden lines travelled down the sides of each body and ended at around the knees where his boots began at.

His boots contained a flap-like extension having a purplish energy pathway cut through them.

They began as thick but then lost some thickness and ended in metallic soils: a small piece shaped like a triangle was set over where the feet were at and leaving a small gap which was seemingly used for the air to come in.

Lastly, two slightly curved flaps were attached to behind him: they had an outer bronze edge and an inner purple body.

"This room's details always pick me."

The room itself had curved walls made of brown stone bricks which were rather degraded and had cracks, slashes and burns into them: the room seemed to be ten meters wide and eight long.

It had no ceiling and was exposed to the atmosphere: the opposite end had a two meter tall wall made of a black stone slab blocking the entrance into another room: the walls had some cracks and fissures on them.

A red glow could be seen coming from further in and heading westwards: it glow grew and decreased in intensity.

"I guess things have been quiet, Ox Fire Ds."

Ox Fire Ds, his interlocutor, was over three meters tall and had a basis which was a two-legged ox and their main color was purple.

His face was shaped like an ox's: his eyes' irises were red in color, three small needles protruded from their forehead, and two horns colored black emerged at the sides: instead of a mouth he had a partial cubical prism protruding out of it with three thin round prisms packed up inside of it: the lower edge was unarmored and exposed.

His chest was big and protruded outwards: partial armor covered the flanks: it had three air outlets and an orange edge while the central body was unarmored and colored purple: a small yellow drawing reminiscent of the Horoscope symbol for "Ox" was set on the middle.

Reddish armor covered the shoulders and his arms' skin was black: his forearms had purple cylinders as armor and some orange triangles were packed in a row along their upper band: their fingers' skin was gray and they looked thick.

The legs were unarmored until the knees where two simple armor plates colored purple and with a white protruding needle had been built at: his feet were shaped like a real ox's too.

"Yes, but… I should name thou Dark Ryuusei – dono." The Navi, Ox Fire DS, suddenly apologized.

"Do as you like." Dark Ryuusei invited.

"Eh… Thank you very much. Well then… Correct. Crown Thunder DS has learned not to try to pull the "electrified doorknob" on us anymore: we had him work with the Fortress Tribe in upgrading the electrical systems instead. He's taking things seriously but the others still resent his prank a bit." Ox Fire DS explained.

"Guess it can't be helped… Anyway… Sorry for longing so much around here, but Somari – chan's mood keeps on being weird and she's making up weird songs: Sidier reported that to me." Dark Ryuusei scratched his hair with the right hand.

"Uh… That must be too much for him to handle, even." Ox Fire DS muttered.

"Yeah. I'm afraid so, too. And Solo went to camp out with the Fortress Tribe, too… I'm sure that if I know Somari – chan well, she won't let go of Sidier anytime soon. Jeez." Dark Ryuusei muttered.

"Tee, heh, heh." A voice rang out.

"Ophiucus Queen DS! How dare you eavesdrop on our conversation? Are you plotting something like what you were doing two months ago or what? Huh?" Ox Fire DS called out.

This newcomer could be about two to three meters tall and was clearly of female gender.

Their design seemed to be a snake-human hybrid: their skin was colored black but it had a purple stripe running across its center until it reach the human-like body's waist: green triangles were set at both sides of each segment.

The skin around her eyes was hidden by the forehead helmet's shade but the irises were blood red: the lower face and nose were covered by a thin and transparent pinkish veil.

The helmet's forehead had red armor on it and three vertical stripes running down it: a diamond was drawn on the center and two stripes extended from the sides: purple armor covered the rest of the head's shape.

The waist had an integrated pinkish "U" shaped band with a golden circle there and a small diamond protruding southwards: it had an Oriental feeling to it for some reason.

Their breasts were covered by black _bikini_ – like clothes with a thin greenish outer edge and a purplish band circling the sides and back of that section.

The shoulders had a purplish cover, a green spheroid the outer half of which protruded outwards and three pinkish pyramid-shaped designs running upwards and ending half-way up.

Their arms' skin was black and they had purple gloves on with a small thin ramp extending past the wrists.

Two large cone-shaped objects colored purple with a top metallic needle and lower purple elongated needles were attached behind her.

"Well. I apologize, Emperor S – sama and Ox Fire DS – sama, but… I thought it was somewhat amusing." She announced.

"Well…" Dark Ryuusei looked somewhat skeptical.

"But it may be female intuition after all… Tee, heh, heh." She giggled.

"Do you have any business? Oi. Wait. Weren't you in charge of keeping an eye on Crown Thunder DS today?" Ox Fire DS seemed to remember and he looked suspicious.

"No, Chief… That's Wolf Forest DS." She corrected.

"Ah. Mistook the guy…" Ox Fire DS shrugged.

"I will go check if those mice Viruses are behaving… Good-bye." She calmly announced.

She giggled under her breath as she crawled across the ground towards a gateway on the west wall.

"Huff! Girls… They have their complexes, really. Not I like I'm complaining, though… We are how we are. And we can be glad of it." Dark Ryuusei muttered while shrugging.

"Yeah. I get that same feeling from time to time, Saruba – dono… By the way… Is the STS project still progressing?" Ox Fire DS asked.

"You didn't hear? We already tested the first unit. It had one or two flaws, but, overall, it did a very good job: the same trick won't work twice."

"Hum, hum! "Fool me once, you're to shame. Fool me twice, I'm to shame"… We are going by that principle?" Ox Fire DS guessed.

"Yeah. By the way… Are our favorite Siamese twins around here?" Dark Ryuusei asked with a hint of amusement.

"… Please, sir… That "Siamese twins" joke is running old, sir…"

"Heh! _Danna_ likes bringing up old jokes."

Two largely identical Net Navis came out of an opening in the east wall: one was sighing and the other chuckling: one was black and the other purple.

Their faces' skin had a dull olive green – like coloring and a faint black and thin line drawing of an electrical current's spectrum shaped like a triangle which formed on the SW and SE corners of their faces and climbed past the nose until they ended slightly beneath the forehead's helmet's armor edge.

Their eyes, nose and mouth were normal enough and their eyes' irises were colored blood red.

Their hair was orange-colored and spread out from behind the helmet in a wild flock manner reaching until the base of their necks.

The helmet's design was peculiar: it had a form seemingly made out of a spheroid's upper half and its main color was gray: the center of it had a drawing which could be interpreted as an arrow pointing downwards which also had two small triangles popping out of the sides: if seen from above and looking from north to south it could be a cutaway silhouette of a tree as well: a golden-colored plain horn formed on the middle of the drawing and aimed upwards.

The ear-pads had two parts: they began as simple gray metallic disks attached half-way between the upper helmet and the sides of the rest of the helmet: then a dome formation sprouted from there and had a small hole cut atop it.

The sides of the helmet included two slightly curved triangles colored orange spanning past the lower jaw by a few centimeters.

Their necks were protected by circular gray bands stacked one atop the other with a total of three plus a wider circle at the base of each guy's neck.

Regarding the chest armor, it could be described as simplistic: the colors of choice was black and purple to tell them apart and the only noticeable things on it were two cavities cut on the center of it shaped after diamonds: they were red on the inside and there was a very thin black line cutting through them spanning half-way across the chest.

Their right and left arms, respectively, were covered by a peculiar golden armor which seemed to reinforce their strength: each guy's shoulder had a soup bowl – like shape along with the cover set over it: a golden horn spread from the center of the cover.

The armor then continued with a slight division drawn half-way the arm located between the shoulder and the elbow.

The elbow segment happened to have a circular piece from which a curved fin aiming towards the shoulder emerged: this elbow armor could be divided in four different segments: the first one was a little piece of golden armor in the form of a circle's lower half: It was continued by a set of three half-circular metallic bands.

These bands spread downwards until the start of the wrist.

A screw bolt's head was set half-way between the lower and upper halves of the elbow armor: a black cross was drawn on it (or rather the grooves where a screw driver would be set at) and a straight black line travelled forward from the eastern edge until the wrist.

The last part of the complicated elbow armor included the aforementioned fin.

A small segment of golden armor covered the little space between the elbow and the wrist.

The wrist and part of the hand were encompassed by one featureless metallic black circle from which his usual five fingers (covered in golden "skin") came out.

The body below the chest armor was rather plain: a central vertical stripe which contained the helmet's pattern towards the end as it reached the waist spot: it was painted gray expect on the outer edges where the color switched to purple and ran down the sides of the body including the inner surface of the legs: the outer surface was colored gray too.

Their peculiar boots began just at the knee's height and had a customized design which looked like some attempt at being "futuristic" for some reason or another and their colors changed between each guy.

The reason why their boots looked peculiar was because they had a descending triangle-shaped ramp running until the ankles and with three golden buttons set in a vertical manner one atop the other near the end of the piece.

The ankles' armor was built in the manner of three purple trapezes set one over the other.

The soil of the boots was also designed to have a trapeze form and painted gray.

Each one was past a meter and sixty in height.

"Take it easy, Purple."

"That's easy for you to say, Black."

"Gemini Spark DS: I see you're keeping in shape. Was Rocky hard to handle when you needed to change the electrical systems over at the Fortress?" Dark Ryuusei asked them.

"Yes, sir. He was trying to rush it all and we had to set a pace." The purple one announced.

"He surely wanted to go and have a high-voltage date with Dia Iceburn DS, even! Heh, heh, heh." The black one chuckled.

"Oi. Black. That ain't funny." The purple one protested.

"Come on, Purple! You're so stiff…" Black told him.

"It's not "stiff": it's being polite, Black!" Purple protested.

Dark Ryuusei suddenly brought a hand to his chin and smiled.

_Heh, heh, heh. These two remind me of the Hikari Twins… Hikari Netto tends to be hot-headed and make up jokes while Hikari Saito tries to cool-headed and try to make sure to look polite. And these guys have been around for more years than them… Maybe it's one of those similarities you see in life! Heh, heh, heh!_

"Anyway! Sir! We handle well but I'm starting to be fed up to have put up a show in front of Ophiucus Queen DS. If only the elements worked as in _Pocket Monsters_ then… Elec wouldn't be weak to Grass. Man. I hate having to do that."

"Heh, heh, heh. But ya always can quit it: I'm the macho _lil bro_ and I handle everythin', _big bro_." Black patted his back.

"That's easier to say than to do." Purple complained next.

"Man. Guess we'll have to do something about it, yeah." Dark Ryuusei sighed and sounded resigned.

"Before she comes up with tentacle _hentai_ again…"

_Solo was right: these girls are WEIRD. TOO WEIRD. Man!_


	19. Chapter 18: Mass production

**Chapter 18: Mass production**

07:14 AM (Spain Time), Tuesday December the 20th…

"… So? How is everything going like, guys?"

"The repairs are complete."

"Good!"

Sidier had come to visit Death and the others: he was speaking with him while the machines around them were working.

"We have managed to assemble a second one as well. It would be wise to try to test how they work against two opponents in case one of them switched targets or both tried to focus on just one of them. This could be crucial for the near future." Death explained.

"Heh, heh, heh. Those guys are gonna let out all the curses they know directed at us." Hunter Man chuckled as he walked into the room.

"Sure thing. They want to heat up the weather." Obihiro grinned.

"Emperor S – sama told me that he was planning a break between Saturday and Sunday: we resume on Monday." Sidier told Obihiro.

"I saw it coming." Obihiro shrugged.

"The point is: they'll lower the guard and the next attack will hit them harder." Hunter Man told Death.

"If that is the case, then I shall not object to it. I rather prefer to attack them when they are not ready and have them experience the adrenaline rush which comes before the eternal sleep…" He dramatically announced as he made that laughter of his.

"S-sure." Sidier gulped.

"Let us strike today: the "Net Saviors" will be wishing they had written their wills before the eternal sleep!" Death rallied.

"Heh, heh, heh… Yeah… Let them feel terror and fear! Let terror and fear rule their weak bodies! Hunter Man tells you that!"

15:33 PM (Japan Time)….

"… Jeez. I'm cursed. And Dekao's to blame."

"Dingo…"

"Heh, heh, heh."

"Your humor seems odd."

Dingo was protesting inside of Maha Ichiban's: Maha looked tired of hearing the same thing over and over again, Dr. Wily was chuckling as usual and Miyabi looked unimpressed.

CRASH!

They suddenly heard something crashing against the roof: Miyabi quickly stood up and made a grimace.

"They came!" He muttered.

There was a second tremor: Miyabi wasted no time and dragged Dingo along by pulling his hood.

"Come!"

"O-oi! Miyabi!"

They ran out into the street and climbed the fire stairs into the roof: two of those robots were waiting there.

"Pick the right one: I'll have the left one." Miyabi told him.

"Y-yeah! Gotcha!"

"Science Labs! Deploy a "Dimensional Area"!" Miyabi requested.

"O. K.! Dimensional Area: Activate!" Meijin announced.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!" Both exclaimed.

They performed "Cross Fusion" and drew their standard weapons: "CF" Miyabi took out his two swords while "CF" Dingo took out the tomahawk.

"Targets ID: Dark Miyabi and Shadow Man EXE."

"Targets ID: Dingo and Tomahawk Man EXE."

"Orders: annihilate."

"I won't let ya! Tomahawk Swing!"

"Shadow Blade!"

"Battle Chip, Curse Shield."

"Battle Chip, Dream Aura."

Both attacks were repelled and the fighters stepped back.

"Battle Chip, Fire Blade."

"Battle Chip, Cannon Ball."

"Huh! Battle Chip, Long Sword!"

"Che! Battle Chip, Tornado!"

"CF" Dingo locked blades with one of the robots while "CF" Miyabi turned into a tornado to dodge the Cannon Ball: the robot ignited its jetpacks and aimed the machineguns at the tornado.

"Shadow Clone!"

Two copies of "CF" Miyabi showed up behind the robot but it merely spun around while shooting both machineguns: the blasts hit the three of them as they tried to attack it and the real one had to land into the ground.

"Damn." He muttered.

"Tomahawk Rolling!"

"Battle Chip, Aqua Tower."

"CF" Dingo collided against the Aqua Tower and caused for a cloud of steam to fill the area: he then tried to swing his tomahawk towards the spot the robot had been at, but it had already ignited the jetpack and shot skywards.

"Shit!" He cursed.

"We're in trouble." Tomahawk Man muttered.

"Paralysis Spell!"

"… That doesn't work on anything else but Navis… Those things don't have a processor." Shadow Man told him.

"Damn. Is there no end to it?" "CF" Miyabi cursed.

"Maybe we can try switching opponents? They might take some seconds to recalculate the battle strategy and we could catch them off-guard." He suggested next.

"It's worth a try." "CF" Miyabi agreed on it.

"Gotcha." "CF" Dingo confirmed.

They quickly switched places and the robots didn't notice.

"Shadow Blade!"

"Battle Chip, Fire Blade."

"Tomahawk Rolling!"

"Battle Chip, Bamboo Sword."

One of "CF" Miyabi's swords broke the Fire Blade while the other plunged some centimeters into the thick chest armor.

"Hah!"

"Eat these!"

"CF" Dingo's attack burnt the Bamboo Sword and collided with force upon the robot's body thus leaving a deep dent on it and making it recoil until it almost tumbled over the edge of the roof.

"… Beep-beep-beep! Battle pattern error. Pattern does not match current target. Recalculate pattern." Both robots announced.

"Keep at it! Battle Chip, Triple Bomb!"

"Gotcha! Battle Chip, Triple Bomb!"

"CF" Miyabi handed "CF" Dingo his Triple Bomb while he stuck both of them in the chest armor dent.

"Battle Chip, White Web!"

"CF" Dingo formed a web around it and then jumped into the air while aiming the tomahawk towards its head.

"Warning. Critical attack detected. Cancel recalculation and resume battle protocol." The robot announced.

It quickly aimed its machineguns at "CF" Dingo and shot him while he tried to dodge using the jets on his boots.

"Slow! Gramps!"

The Triple Bombs went off and provoked a massive explosion which opened a gaping hole on the robot's body to expose the super energy core fully.

"Warning. Warning. Main armor breached. Tactical withdrawal."

"CF" Dingo quickly headed towars the surviving robot which was using two Long Swords to hold "CF" Miyabi at bay: "CF" Dingo's tomahawk hit the head and opened a large wound into it.

"Warning. Processor core area armor breached. Tactical withdrawal."

Both robots ignited their jetpacks and flew skywards as they entered the purple portal before they vanished.

"My, my, my… It'd seem you're rather diehard guys!" A voice rang out with a hint of amusement.

They turned around and spotted Dark Ryuusei's hologram standing there and grinning.

"Who's that?" "CF" Miyabi wondered.

"Wait! I know it! He's Vader's grandson: Ben Skywalker!" "CF" Dingo suddenly exclaimed.

"No~…" Dark Ryuusei slapped his face in defeat.

"No! You're Jacen Solo, then!" "CF" Dingo told him.

"Wrong…!" He sounded exasperated.

"_Star Wars_ fan, huh…" Shadow Man muttered with a hint of amusement to his voice.

"No, no! I was wrong. You're Anakin Solo!" "CF" Dingo tried next.

"NO!" Dark Ryuusei yelled.

"Then you've gotta be Anakin Skywalker's Force ghost!" "CF" Dingo tried to guess.

"I don't have anything to do with _Star Wars_!"

"Eh… Then you're from the "Free Crazy Guys", the show which Count Elec likes seeing the whole time…" "CF" Dingo decided.

"It's called "Unbelievable Truth"…" Tomahawk Man grumbled.

"Crap. I always mix them up!"

"You really can't remember who am I?" Dark Ryuusei growled.

"Something about your voice rings a bell." Shadow Man admitted.

"Dark Ryuusei!" He announced.

"Yamikawa!" "CF" Miyabi recognized.

"Oh yeah! Yamikawa from _Star Potter Reloaded_: that's the guy's true identity!" "CF" Dingo exclaimed.

"Grfjtx! Go to Ottawa and get lost there: you'll make all of us a favor!" He growled.

"Ottawa? Is that eatable?" "CF" Dingo asked.

"It's a city's name! Aren't you from Ameroupe to begin with?" Dark Ryuusei sounded pissed off.

"No. He's from Crazy Land." A voice announced.

"Somari – chan! Don't take over the line!"

"Tee, heh, heh."

"Come on!" He pleaded.

"Okay. But you'll later have to sing "a – le – le" a hundred times." Somari told him with a giggle.

"Jeez! That's unfair! I've let you sit there for almost a whole week and now that I wanna come out for some minutes, you have to boycott me as well? What a crazy week!" Dark Ryuusei complained.

"Yeah. Crazy week 'cause Dingo is crazy to begin with: he's the origin of the so-called "curse"…" Somari giggled.

"Oi! I didn't like that, you!" "CF" Dingo complained.

"… Hmpf. A man with no manners… I can't stand them. Deal with them Saruba, but make sure that unmannered one is punished." Somari's voice turned icy.

"Y-yeah… Please leave it to me." Dark Ryuusei gulped.

There was a sound like a microphone being disconnected: Dark Ryuusei sighed in relief and then looked up.

"… I've lost my mood. I'll be going back. And expect us to make you guys sweat more 'till all of the sweat forms the Net Saviors' Pond. Heh, heh, heh, heh." Dark Ryuusei muttered before grinning.

"Tomahawk Swing!"

"CF" Dingo's attack shot past Dark Ryuusei and he fell down from the roof into the street.

"Oi, oi… You can't tell the difference between a hologram and a real person yet? You tried to same thing on Beyondard's Wily hologram when he showed up on the truck going to the Wily Laboratory!" Dark Ryuusei called out.

"Dingo… You _baka_." Tomahawk Man told him.

"Uh… Unh… I'm seeing the stars and it's the morning…"

"Hmpf." "CF" Miyabi was unimpressed.

"Heh, heh, heh. Our beloved monsters… Enjoy…" Dark Ryuusei teased with a broad grin.

His hologram faded from the rooftop while the "Dimensional Area" faded as well.

"Phew. Your tactic was a good one, after all, Shadow Man. But I'm sure we won't be so fortunate next time around." Miyabi told him.

"I get that same vibe, too. Maybe Dr. Wily could give us some insight." He replied.

Miyabi jumped back on the ground to see Dingo rubbing the back of his head and grumbling.

"Man. The guy tripped me!" He cursed.

"No… You were the one who couldn't tell he was a hologram!" Tomahawk Man growled.

"Che! I thought they were as small as the ones you guys use when wanting to project out of the PET!" Dingo grumbled.

"Didn't you see _Star Wars_?" Tomahawk Man grumbled.

"They were colored pale blue and looked more like it!" Dingo argued.

"Che. Hope you've learned it: holograms can come in all sizes and fashions so move your butt and do something useful." Tomahawk Man shot back.

"Che."

"Jeez."

"The mood keeps on being the usual one: if they were aiming to lower it then they're failing." Miyabi grinned.

"Yeah. And that's because I placed my curse on their fleshes." Shadow Man chuckled.

"Not again with the "curse stuff"…" Miyabi growled.

"Who's the one who kept on saying Hikari Netto was a "Lord's container" then?" Shadow Man brought up.

"I know: I'm too superstitious." Miyabi admitted.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"… I suspected this could happen… The processors are not good enough to realize the switch and change…"

"However… This is the fastest current processors work like, Death…"

"Then we are in trouble."

Death was mumbling over what had happened and Obihiro was exposing some other problems.

"Maybe they can just be programmed to distinguish by height, weight or other features to then exchange places with their partner?" Hunter Man suggested.

"You know… That wouldn't be very hard to implement." Obihiro brought a hand to his chin.

"That is better. Let us work on it." Death announced.

"Sure. I'll go fetch some of the program codes and have another look at them to see if we can optimize them."

Obihiro walked into his bedroom and picked some sheets with instructions written down into it before returning to the main room and picking a chair to sit near the examination table.

"… It reminds me of an operating room table… Anyway… Let's get working on it: we could have them ready by tomorrow."

"I thought something: we could send just _one_ and see how it can handle multiple enemies at the same time. It would not rely on individual battle patterns: it could use a general database." Death suggested.

"Terrific. Even 4 VS 1 would end up destroying themselves."

"Then let us arrange for a "deadly" battle… Hah, hah, hah, hah…"

15:58 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Rock Man."

"Ah. Shadow Man."

Rock Man was sitting on the chair behind his classroom's desk when he looked up to see Shadow Man there.

"We had two today. Tomahawk Man helped us fight them. We could switch places and confuse them to then inflict enough damage so as to force them to leave." Shadow Man summarized.

"Hum. That was a good trick." He nodded in agreement.

"Yamikawa showed his battle form around. Tomahawk Man's Operator kept on mistaking him for a _Star Wars_ character and the guy's still unable to tell it was a hologram: he thinks they must be tinted just like _Star Wars' _holograms." Shadow Man added with a hint of amusement.

"Dingo… He's so square-headed…" Rock Man sighed.

"Anyway… It'd seem that Yamikawa's woman companion wants to play "Empress" and the guy is letting her: he must be the type to spoil people like Gauss Magnets."

"Empress, huh… And she came up with that silly song, too… It must be a pain to have to hear to them when sung in live." Rock Man grimly muttered while rolling his eyes.

"Yeah. I get that same feeling." Netto commented.

"Huh? Ah! That one is here." Shadow Man suddenly gasped.

Rock Man looked at the desk behind him to see Dark Ryuusei's hologram sitting on the chair and stretching.

"Hiya." He announced.

"Guess you got to like middle school a lot."

"Well… That was the last "normal" stage of my life before you-know-what happened." He shrugged.

"And you come up with the hologram to protect your hide." Netto guessed.

"Wasn't it obvious?" Dark Ryuusei shrugged.

"You're not welcome." Rock Man told him.

"I knew that. But I like teasing people. The entire STS thing is just a test drive." Dark Ryuusei grinned.

"Test drive…? You're aiming to tune them?" Rock Man questioned.

"Yep. A product is always tuned before making its way to the market to be sold… Gotcha?" He amusedly told them.

"So! You people plan on selling them to unreliable parties." Shadow Man folded his arms.

"Who knows? Maybe Death – dono will change his plans with time. I'll be going and beware of the elephant statue which Ooyama drew in the blackboard. Heh, heh, heh."

His hologram faded and Netto looked up from his holographic screen to look at the blackboard: an elephant's statue had been drawn there and the name "Ooyama Dekao" was written beneath it as a signature.

"Dekao… You're not gonna tell me he aims to be a sculptor." He muttered with a hint of skepticism.

"Dunno." Rock Man shrugged.

"Gorillas are hot-tempered, after all." Shadow Man joked.

"Listen! I'll become a famous sculptor!" Dekao was telling someone outside of the class.

"Jeez. Stop daydreaming, Dekao – kun." Meiru grumbled.

"Man. No – one realizes my true potential!" Dekao grumbled.

"You don't have any." Meiru sounded annoyed.

"Dekao… Ya have too much of a big mouth. Oh man."


	20. Chapter 19: Deadly battle

**Chapter 19: Deadly battle**

16:46 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday December the 21st…

"… Well! You really did get some good grades, otouto!"

"Heh, heh! I told ya."

Netto and Saito were talking inside of their house's bedroom: Netto was sitting on the bed while Saito had picked the chair.

"And what's more: you worked alone on those. You've really improved a lot!" Saito told him.

"Oh! Please… Don't compliment me so much!" Netto blushed and scratched the back of his head.

"True. If not, you'll get another of those "invincible" moods like when you were given the Advanced PET II… That show Raoul and Enzan set up for us still makes me laugh, really."

"Yeah. It was proven that Dekao wasn't the only flashy guy: we tended to be too flashy. Maybe Laika was right and we should've tried to be more cool-headed." Netto chuckled.

"By the way… It'd seem Blues also disguised once with Thunder Man and went by the alias of "Masked Net"… And who'd said he could sing better than Thunder Man? He beat him by 10 points!" Saito looked amused.

"Heh, heh! And they then were invited to represent Ameroupe in the Worldwide Championship, too!"

"I guess Enzan was in the "what the hell did ya say" mood when he got that email… _Buruusu_ admitted that both he and Thunder Man were taken aback by it." Saito grinned.

"No wonder… Enzan must be cursing his "bright idea" of back then which has turned Raoul into a comical guy from the serious guy he used to be back then…" Netto looked about to laugh.

"Yeah… Huh? Ah! That's…! Netto – kun! Look outside and towards the south east!" Saito suddenly gasped.

They looked outside and spotted a "Dimensional Area" forming around a section of city towards the south east.

"A Science Labs "Dimensional Area"…! Another of those things must've showed up over there!" Netto gasped.

His Link PET beeped so he quickly picked it up: Meijin showed up onscreen as always.

"Netto – kun, Saito – kun! The _triumvirate_ is back at it. Yuriko is trying to handle that thing." He reported.

"Yuriko is! Is there anyone going there?" Netto asked.

"Enzan – kun is going there: I'll try to get in contact with Laika – kun. You two should hurry over there, too." Meijin reported.

"Roger, Meijin – san!" Saito acknowledged.

"Oh. And one last thing: _san wa iranai_!" Meijin added.

Saito nodded in agreement as he dematerialized and entered the Link PET as Netto placed it on its spot.

"It's time to go!"

He quickly ran downstairs and put on his sneakers plus rollerblades before coming out and locking the house: he began to skate over there while checking his surroundings.

"We should be there in ten minutes' time, more or less. I hope Enzan makes it there before us: he'd be able to help Yuriko. It's not like Yuriko can't battle well enough, but I dunno what they have added to that stupid piece of scrap." Saito told Netto.

"Yeah. Bloody 'em! And Death actually plans on selling these things to terrorists… He may be an extraterrestrial "Darkloid" but he sure got a feeling of "greed" to him!" Netto cursed.

"That's funny taking into account that Slur did seem to find Deep Kabase's obsession with money amusing. Guess she added that to the endless list of "reasons why humanity deserves to be annihilated"… Che."

16:58 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Needle Buster!"

"Blues Sword!"

"Battle Chip, Curse Shield, Long Sword. Slot In."

The Curse Shield brought upon by the robot blocked off the projectiles "CF" Yuriko shot at it while it used the right arm's Long Sword to block "CF" Blues' attempt to attack the big.

"Shit. Even if it's 2 VS 1 it can still deal with us." "CF" Blues cursed.

"And we're dead if we lower our guards." "CF" Yuriko grimly muttered.

"Shah, shah, shah! This pile of scrap is pissing me off!" Needle Man cursed.

"Yeah. Let's hope we can get reinforcements soon enough." Blues admitted.

"Program Advance! Fire, Elec, Aqua, Bamboo Sword! Elemental Sword!"

"Program Advance! Cannon, Hi Cannon, Mega Cannon! Zeta Cannon!"

"TAKE THIS!"

Both shot their Program Advances from behind and from the front but the robot stood still.

"Battle Chip, Tank Cannon."

It took out the Tank Cannon and placed the muzzle on the ground before shooting: the recoil pushed the robot skywards and both Program Advances destroyed each other on collision.

"Enemies are powerless. Powerless." The robot announced.

"That sounds like a rip-off from "Darkloid" Gravity Man." "CF" Yuriko sarcastically commented.

"You were there, then?" "CF" Blues asked.

"Ah? I hadn't told you? Yeah. That of the elevator was my work."

"Ah. Then I should finally tell Netto I'm sorry for doubting him." "CF" Blues muttered.

"Battle Chip, Meteor. Slot In."

The meteors began to rain down as both tried to jump out of their trajectory: they hit the ground and caused craters to open up.

"Battle Chip, Magma Seed. Triple Slot In."

The robot tossed three Magma Seed at the ground and formed three puddles of magma thus limiting the range of movements for both "Net "Saviors while the meteors kept on raining down.

"Roof!" "CF" Blues yelled.

"Roger!"

Both jumped into a nearby roof and then split.

"Needle Buster!"

"Neo Variable Sword! Sonic Boom!"

"Battle Chip, Black Hole. Slot In."

The black hole opened up and sucked both of the attacks in before closing up: the robot took out its default machineguns and aimed them at each opponent.

"Shoot!"

Suddenly, though, it shut off the jets and fell some meters before igniting them again to dodge a blast which crossed the space where its back had been at a moment ago.

"Close!"

They turned around and looked down to see "CF" Netto aiming the Rock Buster at them.

"New enemy confirmed: inputting entry into battle pattern program. Data confirmed." They announced.

They suddenly flew upwards to dodge the two attacks which "CF" Blues and "CF" Yuriko tried shooting at the thing.

"It can use gun-type Battle Chips with recoil to jump into the air… But he couldn't maneuver on the air sans the jetpack, then…""CF" Blues muttered.

"Wait. Maybe they're susceptible to magnetism?" "CF" Yuriko suggested in a hushed tone.

"Good idea. Netto! Keep it busy for a few seconds!" "CF" Blues called out to him.

"O. K.! You trash! Catch me! Jet Vernier!"

"CF" Netto flew into the air and shot various Rock Buster shots in a quick manner while drawing a pattern around the robot: the robot was unable to dodge all of them and some left slight wounds on its body.

"Battle Chip, Elec Sword!"

"Battle Chip, Heavy Shake!"

"CF" Blues place the Heavy Shake on the roof and "CF" Yuriko hit it with the Elec Sword while falling from above: a massive EM radiation pulse originated and swept the area: the robot frizzled and its jetpack began to alter between left and right exhaust, making the robot's balance swing from side to side before it completely stopped and it began to fall.

"Kzzzz… EM radiation… Battle Chip, White Web. Slot In."

The robot used it to cushion its fall and tried to stand up: only the left leg and right arm obeyed and it was having trouble keeping a proper balance while on the web.

"Freeze Bullet!"

"Kzzz… Battle Chip…"

The Freeze Bullets hit the web and it quickly broke because of the robot's own weight and the minimal thickness of it: the robot met the ground and fell inside of one of the meteor-caused craters.

"Laika!" "CF" Netto greeted.

"CF" Laika was flying across the air and aiming his Scope Gun at the robot which seemed to have stopped.

"… Not yet." He muttered.

"Battle Chip, Area Steal."

The robot warped and everyone began to look around: it suddenly reappeared in front of "CF" Netto and quickly plunged a Samurai Sword into his chest emblem before he could react.

"Groah!" He groaned.

His "Cross Fusion" came apart and he began to fall.

"Area Steal!" "CF" Blues gasped.

He showed up beneath Netto and caught him by the shoulders as he fell: "CF" Laika then shot a street light with the Freeze Bullet and it formed a small ice platform: the PET landed on it and he quickly picked it up.

"Needle Cannon!"

"Battle Chip, Hell's Burner. Slot In."

While "CF" Yuriko kept the robot busy, "CF" Blues helped Netto land in a safe spot while "CF" Laika handed him the Link PET: it had ejected the "Synchro Chip" and it was broken.

"Crap. Again…" Netto muttered.

"Be glad it was from the front." Saito grimly told him.

"Yeah. I really should be." Netto closed his eyes and made a grimace.

"Laika! Keep the fight on. I'll be shield." "CF" Blues told him.

"Roger. I'll go for the Prism strategy. Get a Dream Aura ready." "CF" Laika told him.

He flew skywards and assumed an angle to be south-west of the robot's current position.

"Battle Chip, Prism!" He muttered.

He shot the Prism into the air while "CF" Blues drew the Dream Aura and made the thumbs up sign to him.

"Battle Chip, Mega Cannon!"

The blast from the weapon hit the Prism and several beams of energy were reflected by it in multiple directions: the robot, which was on top of a roof and clashing with "CF" Yuriko, was unable to react as two of them hit his jetpack and pierced through its body.

"Ku-ku-kuh!"

The robot stepped back and "CF" Yuriko kicked its lower jaw to make it fall into the street with a loud CRASH sound.

"Eat that!"

Both "CF" Laika and "CF" Yuriko landed on the ground and aimed towards the spot where the robot was standing at: it suddenly stood up and still seemed to be able to battle.

"Shit. We'll have to break open the chest armor to force it to leave. Else it won't stop working anytime soon no matter how hard we try!" "CF" Laika cursed.

"Let's try to get its attention." "CF" Yuriko suggested.

"Battle Chip, Area Steal. Slot In."

The robot suddenly warped and "CF" Laika tried to scan where it was at using his scan capabilities.

BLAM!

"Gra~h!"

The sound of a heavy gun firing along with a cry of pain rang out: the robot had warped behind Netto and shot a Mega Cannon at his right shoulder from behind.

"OTOUTO~!"

A scorch mark was left on the skin and Netto collapsed on the ground while "CF" Blues faced the machine.

"One enemy defeated. Currently engaging remaining enemies…" The robot announced.

"You lowlife!" "CF" Blues hissed.

Rock Man suddenly materialized while having already loaded the Rock Buster and placed its barrel on the robot's head.

"Charge Shot!"

The blast effectively blew up the robot's head and it stood still as it lacked a processor to control its body.

"Good! Let's finish it off! Program Advance! Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Dream Sword!"

"Program Advance! Vulcan, Triple Slot In! Mugen Vulcan!"

"Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!"

Two of the attacks blasted through the robot's body and the third one hit the super energy core: it began to grown and suddenly collapsed just a like a supernova, blowing the thing up into countless fragments.

"I'll shield!"

Rock Man shielded the unconscious Netto along with "CF" Blues from the heat shockwave: the only remaining pieces were very small and varied on size but it was obvious that over 90% of it had been destroyed.

"Shit. This kind of wound seems to be very superficial, but… If I had to give a verdict, I'd say he needs to take three or four days off any using the right arm in a brusque manner." "CF" Laika cursed as he crouched and examined the wound with a grimace on his face.

"At least we've proven that they have their limits to their reaction speed given the quick pace of the fight… And I doubt them being able to increase it: they must've hit the limits when it comes to designing operating microprocessors."

"Yeah. I know." Enzan sighed.

"The 64-bit microprocessors are the fastest thing you can find in the market ever since four years ago." Saito muttered while holding back his obvious rage.

"The IBM POWER6 and others… Yeah. And its max speed is 4.7 GHz, so even it cannot process an unregistered program out of nowhere in so little time." "CF" Blues muttered.

"It'd seem the orchestrator is having some trouble holding back his wish to lash out at us!" "CF" Yuriko suddenly announced.

They looked at a building's roof to Dark Ryuusei's hologram standing there and looking down (literally) on them: he didn't seem to be pleased as evidenced by his poker face.

"Che. Hmpf." He grumbled.

"So! Your so-called "clients" must be about to ask for their money back upon seeing how this thing got blow into bits and pieces!" "CF" Blues sarcastically told him.

"Then you fail to see the point. That's a _prototype_: it ain't the full tuned version. It's obvious that you use prototypes for tuning and they may get damaged or destroyed: it's always happened across History. This is nothing new, anyway." He calmly replied.

"And you did that of the Area Steal in purpose!" Saito growled.

"That's where you're wrong. We don't remotely command each move they do: they chose their own strategies." Dark Ryuusei corrected.

"But now we've proven that your machines are not as 100% reliable as you thought they were. You won't be counting any other victories soon enough." "CF" Laika made a smug smile.

"Gloat while you can." Dark Ryuusei challenged.

He quickly faded away while the others sighed in relief and tended to Netto: Saito closed his right arm below his shoulders and lifted him.

"Let's carry him to a hospital to check on him… A Science Labs team is heading here to pick the remains: I doubt those guys want them back, anyway. They must have more of them in the production line." Yuriko suggested.

"Shah, shah, shah! Hmpf! They got a swollen eye. I hope they get a lot more of 'em!" Needle Man grinned.

"… Yeah. I hope so, too. And we'll one day find that factory and turn it into burning ruins and wreckage." Saito nodded in agreement.

"Saito…" Blues called out.

"Don't worry. I won't get angry over that. Let's go." He replied.

"Netto… Hang in there!" Enzan muttered.

_We're making progress!_

"… Tee, heh, heh. Surprise, surprise. Who came to visit ya guys?"

"Oh! Kagehi – sama. It has been a while."

Harp Note DS was talking with a Navi inside of the room.

This Navi was over a meter and ninety tall: he was "humanoid" enough: in fact, he was very reminiscent of the "Phantom of the Opera" character.

His face's skin was also colored in that olive-like color like the "Gemini Spark DS" twins a partial black mask had been built over his eyes (purple irises) and nose.

Four strings of curly blonde hair came out behind his head.

The upper torso had purplish decoration over it which looked like part of an evening suit: the rest of the armor was colored in a bluish color and ended at the waist.

His shoulders were dull blue spheroids from which his arms emerged: the elbow gained a yellowish pyramidal object popping out from the top of them and they turned bluish: the cuffs around the wrists were black in color and so were his fingers.

The sides of his legs aiming backwards had some extra bluish armor with a gray edge built there: his legs were unadorned until the knees where his boots began: they had another pyramidal object on their center and ended in a gray band separating the ankles from the feet: they looked like evening shoes.

A purplish cape with an inner red coloring spread behind him and he sported a top hat with frontal armor over his head.

He also carried a cane on his right hand colored blue and with side red stripes.

"Tee, heh, heh."

The room had no ceiling and the purplish sky could be clearly seen along with its rainfall and lighting: the walls ended in menacing-looking spears made of concrete and placed at different intervals and heights to create a creepier effect: they also had balconies and alcoves which were apparently used to oversee the room.

"Heh!"

The room also had a metallic ledge containing a sealed circular lock door placed five meters directly across the room.

"Tee, heh, heh. It's been a while since I dropped by… This place gives me some inspiration and some swimming into the underground tunnels will rid me of the foul mood I got a while earlier." Harp Note DS told the Navi while sighing.

"Ah? Did something happen?" The Navi asked.

"Yeah, Phantom Black DS. STS – Zero was blown into bits. But it served its purpose and we already have a replacement and two more into the production line." She admitted.

"Intriguing! This looks like a proxy war, if I am allowed the expression. Our proxies shall fight in our stead."

"True! I hadn't considered that point of view… You keep on being fond of noble words, eh?" Harp Note DS looked amused.

"It's part of my nature." He gallantly announced.

"Tee, heh, heh. Okay. I'll be staying here for a few days. I've gotten enough of playing "Empress"." She giggled.

"So it would seem. And I would rather guess that the return of a potentially active sunspot will place pressure on them: even the Sun is unpleased with their poor labor and so it is making it known." Phantom Black DS improvised.

"You know… That ain't a crazy idea. I could use it for my next song: Sun God's Anger." She grinned.

"Ah… The _Winged God Dragon of Ra_…" Phantom Black DS guessed.

"Tee, heh, heh. One of the terrific _God Cards_… You know you're dead when you face its threatening shriek and teeth: they are cleaner than any kid's teeth even while using strawberry-flavored tooth paste." Harp Note DS improvised a joke.

"That's so true. It would like to bring golden light to this world and then set our enemies blazed with Its _God Blaze Cannon_. It will then make all beings turn into corpses with its _One Turn Kill _Special Ability… And, finally… It shall become _God Phoenix_ and burn up in flames of pain and torture all enemies." Phantom Black DS eagerly announced.

"Tee, heh, heh. Well then… Let them fool around as long as they want: eventually, though, good ol' Death will "Summon" it and the "Net Saviors" shall know it was foolish to defy us." Harp Note DS played some notes with her guitar as if improvising a melody.

"Splendid." Phantom Black DS took off the hat and made a gallant reverence as if he was addressing an audience.

"The magician always hides his rabbits into the hat. But I was never fond of them, either. They're outdated. I'd rather have mail pelicans but I guess they don't fit inside of it." She seemed to be making up a parody.

"Who knows?" He teased.

"Let glory come to us for all eternity~! Tee, heh, heh, heh!"


	21. Chapter 20: War general

**Chapter 20: War General**

18:08 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday December the 21st…

"… No. It's no big deal, really, but… To be on the safe side, he shouldn't do exercise with it for three days."

"Ah. Thanks goodness."

"Thank you very much, _sensei_."

Yuuichirou and Haruka were talking with a medic.

"You may go see him." The medic announced.

Both entered the hospital room: Netto was sitting up on the bed and had some bandages around his right shoulder while wearing the hospital pajama: Saito was sitting on a nearby chair and seemingly trying to comfort him.

"Papa… Mama… I'm sorry. I got into a mess again." He apologized.

"No, Netto. You were fighting for your friends. You didn't get into a mess: you mustn't let it make you feel guilty." Yuuichirou comforted him.

"That's right, Netto. So relax and take it easy. The medic told us you can be discharged tomorrow and we'll soon have Christmas. We can be at ease for a few days." Haruka added.

"See, otouto? There's no point in getting depressed. Cheer up." Saito told him.

"Papa, Mama, Saito – niisan… Okay. You're right." Netto smiled and sighed in relief.

"And I'll bring some curry to eat later. I'm sure you'll like it." Haruka told him with a smile.

"Oh! That reminds me… Saito. I promised I would work on a program to help you be able to eat and drink, but… It's only halfway done. I've kept on forgetting to properly work on it. I'm sorry. I announced it back on August and it's already December…" Yuuichirou apologized.

"Don't mind it, Papa. I'm patient. I've had to wait six years before reuniting with otouto and seven before I could come out into the real world even though it was just by "Cross Fusion"… I will wait. I know you will complete it, Papa. But I don't want to pretend I'm human yet. I'm still Netto – kun's Net Navi." Saito calmly replied.

"… I see. But, Saito… Don't forget. For us, you look as human as anyone else."

"You're also our son, Saito." Haruka added.

"I knew that, Papa, Mama… I just don't want to pretend. I don't want to ignore reality."

"Well then… I leave you to take care of Netto. I'll start working on the remains we secured, but we don't hope getting any clues expect for its chemical and electronic composition. The remains barely make up 10% of it, anyway. But I'm sure your theory about the processor is correct, after all." Yuuichirou announced.

"I'll cook you a nice curry which will make you forget the bad mood in the blink of an eye! Tee, heh, heh." Haruka giggled.

"_Thank you_." Netto thanked.

"Later."

Their parents exited the room and both managed to smile as Netto looked at Saito and nodded in agreement.

"… Guess we'll be able to take a little break around Christmas… We'll have to bear with it: at least it'll heal in three days' time. It could've been worse for all we know, yeah… Maybe playing _Pocket Monsters_ will help me vent it off." Netto made a weak smile.

"Otouto… Remember: we must be strong and not allow those guys to depress us." Saito reminded him.

"Yeah… By the way… That reminds me… How the heck could I "enter" Yaito – chan's tree-house computer's Cyber World back when the Bug Style Incident?" Netto frowned.

"Huh… I believe that the screen somehow became a gateway into Cyber Space because of my actions… I'm sorry for grabbing you like that back then, but… I was barely conscious or aware of whom I was." Saito seemed to think back.

"No, I understood that. You needn't worry. At least we could restore all of the Navis absorbed by "Gospel" to normal as well as all the data. I'm surprised, though, that Forte made his way to Gospel's hideout… I guess the monster had the coordinates on it and Forte picked them off." Netto thought back.

"Yeah. That was how I got there." A familiar voice confirmed.

Forte projected with Netto's Link PET hologram while looking slightly annoyed at something.

"Is the wound grave?" He asked.

"No. Four days' rest and it'll heal." Netto replied.

"Phew. Blues told me about the battle and I got worried. Sorry for not saying "hi", but I picked your conversation." Forte told them.

"By the way… Is something concerning you?" Saito asked.

"You noticed? Yeah. Freeze Man and I have been looking for abandoned factories or underground refuges in a 200km radius from the house they were living at, but… No dice."

"And something tells me there's more to it."

"Death Shadow called me using a hijacked cell phone." Forte admitted while grumbling under his breath.

"He wanted to laugh at your face?" Saito asked.

"Yeah. He told me that we were "deluded" by his "grand subtleness": the mystery behind the STS initials. Freeze Man thought it could've been Special Terrific System, Super Time Special or Sample This Salt. But, in truth, the initials stand for… _Sensou Tai Sho… _War General."

"War General… I'd never guessed it. I thought it was written in English."

"He kept us fooled from the beginning to the end. Apparently… The real name for that is… Thanatos."

"… That's the Grim Reaper a.k.a. the personified "death" in Greek… Isn't it?" Saito asked.

"Yeah. Death Shadow had the irony of naming those things after himself like they were his servants." Forte replied.

"Thanatos… Death…" Netto muttered.

"And I'm worried upon seeing how just one of those is able to handle so many opponents at the same time. The next one, whenever it shows up, won't be so easy to incapacitate." Forte sounded frustrated.

"Yeah. But they've hit the limit when it comes to processing power. It'll eventually be unable to process so many inputs and data without having to "kill" other processes." Saito brought up.

"Oh. I like that better. We'll keep up the search but I guess we'll have to expand it… It'll be hard to tell where they went to. I'm sure Obihiro used some kind of disguise so as to not call attention to him when driving the van around… The problem is: we don't know its color, registration number or model. And he could pose as an Italian tourist or citizen living there to mislead us."

"Man. I hope no – one gets interested in this stuff and tries to buy some of them when they're completed. That's the last thing we need: as if dealing with those guys wasn't enough, some terrorist group could use them to inflict chaos somewhere." Saito sighed in defeat.

"This is a mess. And I don't see any solution to it coming out anytime soon expect for finding out their base and trying to blow everything up along with the schematics." Netto muttered as he rested on the bed.

"Yeah. It'd seem we'll have to go for dramatic ends… I'm off. Freeze Man will soon come to take care of security. Later."

"_Bye – bye_." Both replied.

"Be strong, guys…"

10:39 AM (Spain Time)…

"… Good news! Emperor S – sama just told me: Hikari won't be able to fight for three days. We got one player out of the roster."

"Heh, heh, heh. Yeah. That's splendid."

Sidier had come to report the news to Obihiro and company: the three of them (except for Death, whose face wasn't visible) looked amused.

"And Forte just got to know the true name of our servants. I am sure fear will soon rule over his flesh and body before he gives way to anger and frustration…" Death dramatically announced.

"Hmpf. Yeah. That'd be lovely to witness, even." Hunter Man muttered.

"So… We know we can't increase processor speed. But we're making good progress. It's not possible to increase the armor because that would make them way too heavy. I guess we can just rely on the battle circumstances and not dragging the fights on for a long while. We'll switch to a "fear" tactic: we push the guys to their limits and then escape. They'll be left scared and unsettled." Obihiro suggested.

"So… "Hit and run", so as to speak…" Sidier nodded in agreement.

"Ah. But I'm gonna stage a little show to keep the audience busy. Tee, heh, heh." A familiar voice rang out.

They looked at the entrance to spot Harp Note DS' hologram standing there while looking amused.

"Oh. Kagehi – sama." Sidier greeted.

"We are glad to have such a noble visitor." Death gallantly announced.

"Y-yeah! What might the matter be?" Obihiro nervously asked.

"Can we help in some manner?" Hunter Man added.

"Oh. What a nice club… Anyway… There's no need to be concerned. I'm off to staging this little show. It'll be amusing. Don't forget to tune into it in a few minutes' time. _Bye – bye_." She announced with a grin.

18:51 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Really… What were you expecting to accomplish, Telsa?"

"I want to find another of those things and beat it up!"

Airstar and Tesla were flying over the city in Airstar's helicopter: he rolled his eyes under his smoked glasses and sighed.

"Huff! I told ya already… Netto and the others blew one up a little while ago! And they're gonna be fixing the mistakes before thinking of sending another out!"

"No! My business sense says it all: it's gotta be around here!" Tesla replied as if she hadn't heard his arguments.

"Man…" Gyro Man sighed.

"We're in trouble." Magnet Man grimly muttered.

There was a sudden beep coming out of the console.

"Charlie! Some kind of data has intruded the chopper's computer! It's fusing together!" Gyro Man reported.

"What the hell is this?" Magnet Man wondered.

"Charlie – sama~! Don't forget about tonight's promise! We're going to go the Up & Down to have some fun!" A voice rang out.

"Charlie…! You've been going out with someone else!" Tesla got a twitch above her right eye and looked about to explode.

"N-no! This must be some kind of mistake!"

"There's no mistake: Charlie – sama is my idol! Tee, heh, heh!"

Harp Note DS suddenly showed up behind Airstar's seat and she leaned forward while closing her arms around his upper body from behind: he began to sweat and looked nervous.

"Who the…? How did cha get here?" Tesla demanded.

"Can't you see? I'm using a hologram!" Harp Note DS announced.

"Why, you…!" Tesla cursed.

"Huh…? Ah! I recognize you! You're one of that Yamikawa guy's companions from the Black Hole Area!"

"Tee, heh, heh. The _prologue_ is in movement. My nice little _pet_ will play around with those two Navis." She announced.

"Garu~!"

"Garuu Virus…! And it's gigantic!" Gyro Man exclaimed.

"Shit." Magnet Man cursed.

The giant Garuu roared and shot some blasts of fire towards the Navis: they dodged just in time as the Cyber World was set on fire: the chopper began to heat up and seemed to be about to suffer a mechanical failure given its condition.

"Shit! Battle Chip, Geyser! Slot In!"

"Damn! Battle Chip, Aqua Blade! Slot In!"

Both attacks hit the Garuu and it growled as it stepped back and opened his mouth.

"Crap! Battle Chip, Bubble Side! Slot In!"

"Battle Chip, Spread Gun! Slot In!"

These new two attacks hit the throat of the Virus and it growled as it fell down on the ground: the chopper shook but Airstar managed to keep control of the thing.

"Mag Ball!"

"Tornado Arm!"

The two attacks impacted the Virus and it was finally deleted it: both Airstar and Tesla sighed in relief.

"Ah. But this is where the show turns interesting." Harp Note DS teased with a hint of amusement.

"Crap." Both muttered.

"… Kidding! 'Bye!" She giggled.

Her hologram vanished and both looked surprised.

"Charlie. The engine was almost fried. We'll need to run some repairs into it before our next sortie." Gyro Man reported.

"It'd seem that the Virus was assembled in a rush: its power level wasn't much higher than the normal-sized version of it." Magnet Man sounded intrigued.

"Rushed or not… I'm glad we managed to get out of it in one piece." He sighed in relief.

"Hmpf! That woman… Trying to stir civil war…" Tesla grumbled.

"What "civil war"… That was "jealousy"…"

"I'm – gonna blow – her – away – by – my hands!" She threatened.

"How are you gonna do that, anyway? She's just a hologram." He dully asked.

"Hah! I'll bring out my anti hologram sword and cut her up!" Tesla boasted with a smug smile.

"There's no such thing." He sounded exasperated by now.

"I'll self-made it, then!" She countered.

"It's impossible to attack a hologram! You might break the projector but that's all!"

"Hmpf. You want to act like Wikipedia – sama." She shrugged.

"Wrong!"

"Hmpf! Che!" She played the offended.

"Jeez."

"Get ready: you silly woman!" Tesla challenged.

19:02 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Yeah, I know…"

A teen walked down a street: he seemed to be close to a meter and seventy tall.

He had black hair and green eye irises and he appealed to be close to sixteen years old.

He wore black jeans, a navy blue wool sweater, a red cap, smoked glasses (transparent enough to spot his eye' irises) and white sneakers.

He carried a gray – colored Link PET the emblem of which was a transparent shape of a person delimited by a black rim around ther figure.

He was speaking through a prepayment cell phone.

"… I insist! I'll do it. What? You don't like that I'm doing it 'cause it's something personal? Wait! What?" He was seemingly arguing with someone.

He didn't spot Dark Miyabi looking from inside of a tree's foliage and hearing it out.

"This one looks like a neophyte, Miyabi." Shadow Man suggested.

"You mean a "novice"." Miyabi automatically corrected.

"Maybe."

"Man." Miyabi grumbled.

"… Don't screw me! It was hard enough to locate you guys… What? You don't need me? Who do you think you're talking with…? Can't be… You're actually not gonna move a finger about the jerk?" He lifted is voice's volume and sounded annoyed.

Miyabi looked like he was catching up something.

"… I'll prove it to you guys! I didn't get trained by a pro during five years in vain! What the… I have zero chances of succeeding? It's just a jerk! And my method is perfect: no – one would think of it!" He discussed.

"Perfect… Not even I am perfect." He muttered.

"Yeah… Because Ooyama's curse is on place…"

"Stop bringing Ooayama Dekao up."

"I'll bring him down then."

"Don't overdo it either."

"Don't worry… I'll just quote the _Art of War_…"

"Sun Tzu's work, huh… I don't think he'll gain anything from that: he'll distort the thing to begin with." He was skeptical.

"… You bunch of jerks! The great me am invincible~! I'll prove it to you guys like it OR NOT!" The teen was yelling.

"Operator, I don't think that…" A Navi interjected.

"You just shut the trap up!"

"R-roger…"

"Don't try to ditch me, you! Huh? What? Proof? That's what I was talking about: I'm so gonna prove it to you guys! What? Not again! Zero chances of success…! What's your proof for that, huh? HUH? "Countless variables and factors", ya say? Ain't that some Math problem?"

"Hmpf. I'm flattered." Miyabi sarcastically muttered.

"Yeah… I'm flattened." Shadow Man joked next.

"Oh come on. Go hunt stray souls."

"Delighted… Starting by that guy over there… Heh, heh, heh…"

"… Fuck! They cut me off! The smug-faced jerks! The smug-faced imbeciles who think they're invincible! Fuck 'em all!"

"That's why I said that…"

"SHADDUP! Grah! I'll prove it to them! My word!"

"Hmpf… Come anytime, novice… I'll be waiting…"


	22. Chapter 21: Hot Duel

**Chapter 21: Hot duel**

21:21 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday December the 21st…

_Hmpf! Sneaking inside is WAY TOO EASY! HAH!_

A figure crept around the hospital's hallways while making sure no – one spotted its presence: they soon reached a room door and looked at the nameplate to the left of its door.

"Room 1754:

Hikari Netto"

_Hah!_

The figure grinned and took out a gun with a silencer: they softly turned the doorknob open and glanced inside: they gasped when spotting Saito sitting on the chair next to the bed and sleeping.

_Damn. Rock Man…! So that's what those guys meant: Rock Man can come out of the PET and be in the real world! I've got no means to delete him now, then! Damaging the PET might do it, but… I'm sure I won't be able to come any closer. Wait. The guy doesn't wear helmet… Dunno if this will work, but… It's worth a try._

The figure calmly aimed the gun towards the forehead and made a sinister smile.

_RIP! Rock Man!_

Someone suddenly grabbed its right wrist from behind and forcefully twisted it while another arm closed around its head and a hand muffled his voice.

_Gruh!_

The pain made the assaulter drop the gun, which was caught by the newcomer.

_W-who the…! This guy is a pro!_

"Don't move." Someone hushed.

The newcomer dragged the attacker and dragged it off into a storeroom at end of the corridor: the door opened and closed.

_Let go of me, ya!_

The attacker broke free and quickly took some steps away while drawing a scout knife.

"Useless." A man's voice calmly announced.

A _kunai_ hit the knife and it flew off the attacker's hand: the newcomer picked it as well.

"Turn on the lights." The newcomer commanded to someone else.

"Roger." A Navi's voice replied.

The lights turned on: the two persons inside the storeroom were Dark Miyabi and the teen of some hours ago.

"Dark Miyabi…!" The teen cursed.

"Hmpf. I've read a file about you… Togakawa Emil: Stealth Man's Operator and skilled assassin…" Miyabi announced.

"In short: a neophyte." Shadow Man announced.

"Who are you calling a "neophyte"?" A Navi growled as he projected out of Togakawa's PET.

His eyes irises' were red and his helmet's forehead had three vertical purple stripes drawn on its surface.

He was painted in gray and black colors and had purplish scales all over his body.

"You lowlife are." Shadow Man icily shot back.

"Why, you…! What are you doing here of all places, huh?" Togakawa demanded.

"I could ask you the same question, Togakawa." Miyabi replied.

"Che!"

"If you were planning on deleting Rock Man by damaging his PET, then you better give up: you have zero chances of succeeding. Rock Man has light sleep. He'd hear your footsteps crawling inside and, since he's a Navi, he could even hear the gun with the silencer on." Miyabi told him.

"Get out of my way, Dark Miyabi! This is personal!" He growled.

"I know that you were a "disciple" of sorts to Sgt. Sneaky… The author of the Habana Bank robbery over 10 years ago… And a freelancer who cooperated with Silver Arrow…" Miyabi calmly exposed.

"And I'm gonna avenge him: those guys tossed him on the brig!"

"Wrong. It was the Hong – Kong authorities the one who caught him after he fled there because he abducted a civilian on Japan."

"What need had he for such antiques? He was a genius!" Togakawa exclaimed.

"Hmpf. The man was short in money and hoped to gain some by demanding a ransom: he failed and he then ran away from the Hong Kong hotel until he was cornered by the SWAT team. So?" Miyabi replied.

"I can't believe my master had to steep so low…!" He hissed.

"Ah. And Hikari was never involved in any of those. Your master spied on him but I and a partner intercepted him: we had to disarm him but his employer bailed him outta there." Miyabi added.

"But that guy's an eyesore which needs to be taken out! Aren't you an assassin as well? Why quit?" Togakawa replied.

"You don't need to know, Togakawa. But were it not for him, we wouldn't have a Network by today or live as we live: "Nebula" would've ruled it all or the "Super Cybeast" would've. Or else, "Cache" would've turned all of us into data to merge with his body and feed us a "reality" shaped according to his own ends: a world where no PETs, no Cyber World and no Net Navis existed… Or worse: Duo would've erased Earth long ago. Would have you liked to go back and lose all the progress society made?" Miyabi confronted him.

"… I don't give a crap for that! All I know is that I'm gonna kill that bothersome Navi and that guy as well!" Togakawa growled.

"Not in my watch." Miyabi announced.

He drew the _katana_ and used it to keep Togakawa at bay: the guy hissed and stepped back.

"… I told you and you didn't pay heed… But since you may be "useful", then we'll get you out of this pinch…" A resigned voice rang out.

Miyabi grumbled and spotted Sidier showing up in a corner of the room while looking resigned.

"You're the guy named Sidier, then!" Togakawa growled.

"Yeah. Explanations will come later. Togakawa."

He snapped his right hand's fingers: a "Dimensional Converter" popped out of the ground and bailed the guy out of the room: Sidier then shrugged and directed a dull face at Miyabi.

"Do tell Hikari and Rock Man: they shall experience the ultimate execution method of us Demon Tribe: the _Infinite Naraku_." He slowly drew a smug smile across his face.

"Damn. The _Infinite Naruku _again…" Miyabi cursed.

"Motto – thief." Shadow Man told him.

"Patent it, _Ninja_ Man." Sidier shot back.

He drew that sword of his and swung it in a 360º angle before vanishing and leaving no trace behind.

"Ninja Man… Hmpf. Pathetic." Shadow Man scoffed.

"Yeah. Guess we'll have to reinforce security on Hikari: this guy will waste no time on trying to creep into his house. And now it'd seem they've suddenly found a use for him, too." Miyabi growled.

"Neophytes… Let their own fanatic behavior turn them against each other and slay each other." Shadow Man dramatically announced.

Miyabi stored the _katana_ and picked up the left behind weapons which he hid on a small leather bag: he then turned off the lights and opened the door a bit to survey the corridor.

"They obviously won't try again tonight, but… I prefer to be on the safe side..." Miyabi muttered.

"I'll keep watch." Shadow Man announced.

"Good. I need some rest." Miyabi agreed on it.

"Beware of the Greek Envoy." Shadow Man warned.

"Hmpf. Those robots won't show up around here, either."

Miyabi sat down on the storeroom's ground and quickly fell asleep while Shadow Man surveyed the corridor.

"… Where the hell is this at?"

"I can't tell you."

"Ah? Aren't ya in charge?"

"No."

"Who's in charge? I wanna speak with the guy!"

"It's too late on the night."

Togakawa was discussing with Sidier while inside of a small bedroom built into the underground refuge.

"Che! I was going to make you guys a favor!" Togakawa cursed.

"My Lord doesn't believe in pointless killing. He has plans for that guy. And he will see to it that they come to fruition." Sidier calmly replied.

"Hah! He just wants to keep the glory!" Stealth Man exclaimed.

"It could be. But that doesn't concern you two: be glad we bailed you of there. You will be given a job. But there'll be no killing and no bloodshed on it. You can't refuse it, either. He who warns a traitor is not." Sidier warned.

"You're outdated, then!" Togakawa growled.

"Be rational and cool off. You will be given food and accommodation here: the Net Police will soon post a warrant on your head and make it impossible for you to properly hide in Japan." Sidier told him.

"So this place is really somewhere in Spain, then." Stealth Man shrugged.

"Yeah. But I won't give you any specifics. Cool it off and be sharp for a new mission."

He exited the room and locked it from the outside: Togakawa growled and sat down on the bed.

"I'll remember this, Dark Miyabi!" He threatened.

"… That's a good one, Nenjiro!"

Rokushadama was working with Napalm Man: he eyed the PET's digital clock and calendar.

"22/12/2006. 09:33 AM."

"I AIN'T NENJIRO~!" Napalm Man yelled as he heated up the monitor.

"YIKES!"

Rokushadama stepped back from the heated up monitor and blew air into his hands to cool them: Napaln Man growled something under his breath next.

"Che."

"Man."

An explosion suddenly echoed in the workshop.

"What the heck?"

"Crap." Napalm Man muttered.

Rokushadama turned to see a cloud of smoke where the door had been and a figure standing there while making some mechanical buzz-like sounds: it stepped forward.

"Unit Thanatos – One: acquiring targets. Targets ID: Rokushadama Nenji and Napalm Man EXE. Orders: annihilate."

"Is this a hidden camera show?" He looked at it and sound baffled.

"That thing's for real! Call the Science Labs and ask for a "Dimensional Area"!" Napalm Man yelled.

"Eh… Yikes!"

Rokushadama ducked while missing a shot which made a hole in the far wall: he covered his head with both hands and then ran behind the desk while he looked at the PET.

"Eh… Science Labs! This is Rokushadama Nenji! I need a… What was the word again?" He rolled his eyes.

"A "Dimensional Area", Nenji!" Napalm Man yelled.

"Ah! A "Dimensional Area", I need one!"

"Roger! Dimensional Area: Engage!"

The "Dimensional" Area formed around the district and he rummaged into his pants' right pocket to take out his "Synchro Chip" model.

"Slot this thing in and yell "Cross Fusion"!" Napalm Man told him.

"Che! I'm not senile yet!"

"Then hurry it up!" Napalm Man urged.

"Yeah, yeah…! Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Rokushadama and Napalm Man performed "Cross Fusion" sans a flaw.

"Vulcan Arm!"

An inclined cylinder-shaped gun appeared and began to shoot at the robot.

"Battle Chip, Aqua Tower."

The Aqua Tower absorbed the shots from the gun.

"Eh? What the heck is that?" He asked.

"It's a robot which knows your form of attacking and counters ya! Rock Man told me 'bout 'em!" Napalm Man replied.

"That thing can guess how I'm going to attack it?"

"Yeah! Dodge!"

"Battle Chip, Bubble Side. Slot In."

"Yikes!"

"CF" Rokushadama used his jetpack to jump out of the way.

"Hum… Battle Chip, Fire Punch!"

"Battle Chip, Tsunami. Slot In."

"CF" Rokushadama tried to punch the robot but was met with a big tsunami which stopped him.

"Fire Bomb!"

"Battle Chip, Ice Seed. Slot In."

"CF" Rokushadama dodged the Ice Seed.

"Che! Napalm Bomb!"

"Battle Chip, Triple Bomb."

The robot threw various Triple Bombs at him thus causing explosions and forcing "CF" Rokushadama to shield himself.

"Shit! I'm not getting anywhere!" "CF" Rokushadama cursed.

"That's why I said these things were no joke!" Napalm Man insisted.

"Che! Ra~h!"

"CF" Rokushadama began to shoot several volleys with his shoulder-mounted guns at the robot.

"Battle Chip, Curse Shield. Slot In."

"Che! Damned machine!"

The shots bounced off the Curse Shield and "CF" Rokushadama had to jump out of the way to avoid them: he cursed under his breath and tried to take aim for it again.

"Mag Missile!"

"Tornado Arm!"

"Battle Chip, Dream Aura. Slot In."

"CF" Airstar and "CF" Tesla made it to the scene.

"Ah! You guys! Thanks for the extra hand!" "CF" Rokushadama thanked.

"Finally! I wanted to teach this stupid machine not to laugh at my face: I am not even 30 yet!" "CF" Tesla exclaimed.

"Let's fight together!" "CF" Airstar rallied.

"Three targets detected. Common battle patterns analysis mode will now start. Orders: annihilate all targets." The robot announced.

The robot ignited the jetpack and drew its machineguns.

"Tesla! We'll be bait. Try using your magnetic attacks on that thing!" "CF" Airstar announced.

"Oi! You jerk! Come at me!" "CF" Rokushadama challenged.

"_Okay, darling_!" "CF" Tesla replied.

"Tornado Arm!"

"Battle Chip, Heat Side!"

Both attacks hit the Dream Aura and forced some cracks on it as if to signal that it was reaching its limit.

"Battle Chip, Super North Wind!"

"Battle Chip, Super Vulcan!"

"CF" Airstars' attack cut through the Dream Aura and "CF" Rokushadama shot the Super Vulcan rounds: they bounced off the armor.

"Enemies are powerless. Powerless." It intoned.

"I wonder about that! Mag Ball! Mag Ball! Mag Ball!" "CF" Tesla shot back.

She threw several Mag Balls in a row towards the robot's back: it tried to ignite the jetpack and fly out only to crash against the low ceiling and fall into the ground: the Mag Balls impacted on the jetpack and caused its frizzling.

"Warning…! Low ceiling…! Limited maneuvering…! Jetpack malfunctioning…! Recalculate pattern." The robot announced.

"Battle Chip, White Web!"

"Battle Chip, Salamander. Slot In."

The Salamander shot skywards and quickly drew a curve trajectory towards "CF" Tesla: she jumped to the right and the robot took out the right wall.

"A~h! My workshop…! My workshop…!" "CF" Rokushadama gasped.

"That'll come later!" "CF" Airstar replied.

"Mag Missile! Mag Ball! N – S Tackle!"

"CF" Tesla shot several Mag Missiles and Mag Balls at the robot before dividing into two and drawing Long Swords.

"Let's go~!"

The robot quickly rolled across the ground and jumped but some of the projectiles hit that spot: the jetpack was hit by a Mag Missile and another Mag Ball thus causing it to begin emitting smoke: the heat formed by the magnetism was starting to melt some of its components.

"Warning. Jetpack malfunctioning. Level: 3."

"CHARGE~!"

Both "CF" Teslas dashed towards the robot from left and right.

"Battle Chip, Long Sword. Double Slot In."

The robot drew both swords and held them at bay.

"Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!"

"Me too! Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!"

"GO~!"

Both attacks shot and blasted through the robot's rear while it was busy dealing the two "CF" Teslas.

"Eat these!"

A gaping hole allowed one to see the quickly growing super energy core which was expanding like a supernova before collapsing and taking the robot out.

"Whoa!"

The explosion knocked Rokushadama's desk and the LCD screen, keyboard and mouse into the ground as well as the computer terminal.

"A~h! My workshop…! My workshop…!" He gasped.

"Calm down!" "CF" Airstar told him.

"Did that do it?" "CF" Tesla wondered.

This time, however, most of the legs below the knees had survived and so had the forearms along with some other scare components but over 80% of it had been vaporized by the brutal explosion and a wave of heat lingered around the devastated area.

"Phew!"

"A~h! My workshop! My workshop!"

"Cool it, Nenji! At least you're still alive!"

"A~h! My workshop! My workshop!"

"Hey. Tesla lost a big chunk of her old HQ and never complained."

"Hmpf! I've been busy. But one day I'll lawsuit Umbra's ghost!"

02:51 AM (Spain Time)…

"… Thanatos – One is gone. But given our extra hours, we already have two new and fresh replacements. It _was_ a bad strategy to have it fight inside of a low-height space."

"Yeah… But it was a prototype, so… We needed to study how it reacts to different environments. And hadn't it been for those two, that fireworks guy wouldn't have been able to hold on before Thanatos – One beat him to a pulp and then fled…"

Death was arguing with Hunter Man over what had happened.

"But it was a good idea to limit the amount of mass the core needs by 5%: some more fragments survived. Let the Science Labs have them: they shall shed no information." Death added.

"Guess so…" Hunter Man shrugged.

"Anyway… We should make sure one of those can roll out of the production line: we'll need it for the strategy Emperor S – sama came up with." Sidier told them as he came in.

"I'll check on it, Sidier. But it should be about 90% complete by now: I don't expect it to take more than 50 minutes." Hunter Man announced.

"Good! Let's get on the move: Thanatos – Two won't be able to keep the distraction up for long even if it gets to fight just one enemy. We'll give that one an opportunity. But if he tries to go outside of his commands, then we'll ditch him and have him handle on his own."

"I see there is no drop in morale. Nothing shall stop our cold as ice determination. Let us crave a future of conflict in which humanity shall eventually succumb to their deadliest weapons and self-destroy… Only a selected few will survive! Only the strong ones will!" Death dramatically announced.

"Yikes." Both Hunter Man and Sidier gulped.

"Heh… Hah… Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah… Hah, hah, hah, hah… Hah, hah, hah, hah… Hah, hah, hah!"


	23. Chapter 22: Intrusion

**Chapter 22: Intrusion**

11:11 AM (Japan Time), Thursday December the 22nd…

"… Hum."

Dark Miyabi was standing on the roof of a tall building and overseeing the streets around the Hikari house: all looked normal.

"… Too quiet… But… Airstar told me they'd blown up another robot today's morning. However… I feel like they have more of them to replace it." Miyabi grimly muttered.

"Yeah. And I guess they're gonna "Special Summon" it, too." Shadow Man shrugged.

They heard the whistle of one of the robot's jetpacks and Miyabi turned around to face it as it came out of a gateway in the sky and landed down on the roof.

"Unit Thanatos – Two: acquiring targets. Targets ID: Dark Miyabi and Shadow Man EXE. Orders: annihilate."

"Go back to the _Naraku_, you machine." Shadow Man announced.

"Science Labs! I need a "Dimensional Area"!" Miyabi called out.

"Again…! Roger! Dimensional Area: Activate!" Meijin cursed once he got the news.

The "Dimensional Area" formed and Miyabi quickly took his Wily Version "Synchro Chip" out of his tunic's pocket.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"CF" Miyabi showed up on the scene and quickly drew both _katana_ swords to aim them at the robot.

"Shadow Blade!"

"Battle Chip, Gold Fist. Slot In."

"Huh! Damn."

The Gold Fist blocked the blades and "CF" Miyabi hissed something under his breath as he assumed a defensive position by jumping some steps back and having his blades ready.

"… Hum… A "Dimensional Area"… I guess another of those has showed up around here…"

Netto was sitting on his house's living room sofa and had a bandage around the right shoulder: he was reading a book while distractedly examining the classical color distortion caused by the presence of a "Dimensional Area" there.

"I guess someone will be busy handling them. Anyway… Let's keep on reading." He muttered.

"Lift your hands." A voice commanded.

Netto gasped and suddenly found a gun aiming for his forehead while seemingly floating in the air.

"YIKES!"

He quickly complied and tried to focus his sight: he could now spot a person's shape concealed by optical camouflage.

"W-who…?" He demanded.

Togakawa disengaged the stealth camouflage and Netto gulped: his eyes looked cold and impersonal.

"What do you know about Sgt. Sneaky? Speak or I'll shoot your legs' knees!" He questioned.

"What? Sgt. Sneaky…? Ah! That was the Cuban guy who abducted Tooru – kun! But the SWAT Team in Hong Kong got him over a month ago! He should be in jail!" Netto recalled.

"So! You never plotted his downfall? Huh?" Togakawa questioned.

"No! Tell that to Sidier's boss: his companions were the ones who leaked out his location! They were boasting about that a while ago even!" Netto shot back.

"What! Sidier's boss companions helped the police arrest my master and they then go and call me "useful" by having me search your house to see if there is any documentation of top-secret projects? Double – edged lowlifes… I'll see to it." Togakawa growled.

"To begin with: what's your name?" Netto questioned.

"Togakawa. Togakawa Emil. My Navi is Stealth Man. And I could calmly press the trigger and leave you dead there." He coolly announced.

"W-what!" Netto looked terrified.

"But those idiots seem to have a use for you, so they actually went and replaced the bullets with blanks when they gave me this gun. And this scout knife is a fake as well. But I'd have enough with my own hands to strangle you to death. I've claimed ten Government agents. No civilians yet but that can change." He icily announced.

Someone suddenly grabbed Togakawa from behind and immobilized him by using a _judo_ technique: Saito was there and he looked angered, for once.

"You…! You won't hurt my Operator!" He announced.

"Shit! I forgot this guy could come out of the PET…!" He cursed.

"_Nice_, Rock Man! We gotta call the Net Police." Netto stood up.

"Yeah. And don't try to wrestle your way out. I've got several more tricks up my sleeves even without Battle Chips and strength limiters."

"Strength limiters…!" Togakawa gasped.

"Yeah. I'm as strong as a normal human adult: and Navis normally can exert more strength. Thus, these limiters are on place." Rock Man calmly announced.

"… You really are unreliable, Togakawa… You need a baby-sitter to follow you anywhere…" A frustrated voice rang out.

Both looked at the left and spotted Sidier stepping out of the kitchen / dining room and walking over to them while looking bored.

"Hmpf. I've got no time to play with you two. Emperor S – sama was very explicit on that. Togakawa: get lost. And don't try contacting us again: we've increased security." Sidier dully told him.

"Sidier! You lowlife! You were the one whose master plotted to take my master down!" Togakawa growled.

"That show was getting boring. And this show is fresher." He shot back.

He snapped his right hand's fingers: the "Converter" came out.

"Farewell."

The "Converter" ignited and Togakawa was removed from the spot while Sidier calmly folded his arms and seemed to be looking at the Converter's circuitry before it vanished.

"Don't move!" Rock Man commanded as he aimed the Rock Buster from behind.

"Hmpf." He looked unimpressed.

"Rock Buster!"

Sidier merely opened his right hand's palm and closed it when the shot impacted: it seemingly got absorbed.

"You copied that from Slur!" He cursed.

"So it'd seem. But it's of little importance. I'll make you guys experience the _Infinite Naraku_ one day. You will end up half-dead and you will call on the _Dark Side_ to have revenge on me." Sidier drew a smug smile.

"Get outta _our_ house. Now." Rock Man hissed.

"Hmpf."

Sidier snapped his right hand's fingers and vanished while only leaving that trail of diamonds behind: both sighed in relief.

"Damn. Two intruders on our house and one is a high school age – like guy who is an assassin! Could things get any worse than this? Damn it!" Netto cursed.

"I was on the bathroom and I'd come down when I spotted the situation and acted. Luckily, they gave the guy fake weapons… And I'm afraid of what can happen if we have to face Sidier's true form…" Saito muttered with a hint of fear.

"Don't worry, Saito – niisan. Saruba will want us to stay alive until the show's _climax_, so he'll most likely order Sidier to limit himself to kicks and blows while making sure not to break any bones." Netto replied.

"Yeah. I'd rather prefer that." Saito nodded in agreement.

"I apologize for my delay…" Someone called out.

"Freeze Man?" Saito asked.

"Correct… I was trying to see if Dark Miyabi needed some help dealing with one of the robots…" Freeze Man admitted.

"Miyabi alone versus one of those things… I wonder if he'll be okay, I mean, the very first one was hard enough to beat…" Netto muttered while scratching the back of his head.

"The good news is this: we destroyed another one earlier one and larger remains were recovered. They are being analyzed." Freeze Man added.

"Ah. Maybe we'll be able to realize a physical defect on them which can be exploited…" Saito brought a hand to his chin.

"That's what I hope, too. I will be on standby close by. Goodbye." Freeze Man replied.

The door's bell rang and both headed over there to check it out: Enzan was standing outside.

"Oh! True. I'd forgotten… We arranged for Enzan to come today. I'll go greet the guy." Netto recalled.

"_Buruusu_ has come, then. _Good timing_. Heh, heh." Saito smiled and looked relaxed.

Netto opened the door and Enzan stepped in before he closed it behind him as the "Dimensional Area" began to fade.

"Hello." Enzan greeted.

"Hello, Enzan! What's up?" Netto greeted.

"I just got a call from Miyabi: the robot fled even though Miyabi wasn't able to inflict severe damage to it. It'd seem they want to go by a "hit and run" tactic so as to make each robot count." Enzan explained.

"I see." Saito brought a hand to his chin.

"You see Mr. Universe pulling the strings through his _shatter-point_ Special Ability." Blues came up with a joke.

"Heh, heh, heh! That's a good one, _Buruusu_!" Saito told him.

"Thanks for the compliment, Saito." Blues smiled.

"Oh! Yeah! Enzan… You gotta post a search warrant on a guy named Tokagawa Emil… His Navi is Stealth Man…" Netto brought up.

"Tokagawa… Haven't I heard that name before?" Enzan muttered.

"Enzan – sama. The murder of a government official ten months ago was the work of such an individual." Blues brought up.

"Ten months ago… February… We were dealing with those sporadic cases which preceded the "Phantom Navis" and Cache…" Netto recalled.

"Then… The _triumvirate_ has hired the guy?" Enzan worriedly asked.

"Not exactly… He's acting out of revenge for that Sgt. Sneaky guy but Sidier and co. wanted him to steal some of Papa's documents… Instead, he tried to question me if I'd had any involvement on the downfall of that Sgt. Sneaky guy. Sidier then showed up and told him he was fired before he fled the area." Netto explained.

"Then he's been left to act on his own accord… This could be dangerous indeed. A search warrant would be a good idea to keep the individual at bay." Blues muttered.

"Huh? Netto – kun: a transmission from Miyabi." Saito informed as he looked at the PET on Netto's arm strap.

Netto picked the PET and patched the call while both he and Enzan sat down on the sofa.

"Ah. Ijuuin Enzan. You got there. Good." Miyabi told him.

"Yeah. What's up, Miyabi?" Enzan asked.

"Freeze Man just approached me… It was a bit tense taking into account what happened between Shadow Man and him, but… They shoved it asides. He told me what I feared: Tokagawa had been there while the machine kept me busy." Miyabi explained while looking concerned about the topic.

"So you knew he'd be coming after me?" Netto asked.

"Yeah. I spotted him yesterday by coincidence discussing with Sidier and the others via a cell phone. He found them somehow. I then decided to be night watch at the hospital and my hunch proved correct. He showed up there intending to delete Rock Man, but I intercepted him and stole his weapons before he was helped to flee."

"That guy is really dangerous!" Saito cursed.

"But, luckily, this guy is at the minimal legal age to be condemned to prison, so… We could have him be closed there." Miyabi suggested while looking serious.

"I'd like that better. Guys like that should be locked up." Netto nodded in agreement.

"But we mustn't feed on the violence because it'll then become an unending spiral." Saito warned.

"… Guess so… Anyway… Thanks for everything, Miyabi." Netto muttered before thanking him.

"Don't mind it. Farewell." Miyabi calmly replied.

Netto placed the PET back on its spot and leant back on the sofa while sighing in defeat.

"What a prospect." Enzan grimly muttered.

"I really need to learn to defend myself in the real world, too. They'll begin attacking from there. This wound should heal soon enough, so I'll quickly start training. Niisan… Can you teach me?" Netto muttered before asking Saito.

"Yeah. Leave it to me, otouto. I'll teach you the basics which will be enough to handle any grunt. And remember: I'll be there with you." Saito smiled at him.

"_Thank you_, niisan."

"I guess you'll have to call him Saito – sensei." Enzan joked.

"… Shit! Damn! Fuck! The dogs…! The worms…!"

"Togakawa – sama…"

Togakawa was kicking empty crates while inside of a storehouse somewhere and Stealth Man looked surprised.

"Shit. I gotta scram far away again and wait for things to cool down. My camouflage will do fine, anyway." He muttered.

"… Heh, heh, heh. Nice lookin'… And the guy stepped into our territory without realizing it!"

"We're gonna save ourselves some trouble…"

Two thugs showed up from behind the crates and Tokagawa quickly aimed at them with the fake gun: they recoiled and looked afraid.

"You lowlifes wanna die, too?" He icily challenged.

"D-damn! T-that's no punk… It's a pro!" One cursed.

"Shit. Let's go find "recruits" elsewhere." The second cursed.

They both ran out while Tokagawa used the rear door to leave: he had a grimace on his face.

"… "Recruits"… Hmpf. Yeah… That's the same motto Sgt. Sneaky used five years ago… Weren't it for him, I'd be a useless whelp who'd keep on being bullied for the rest of his pitiful life. But I'm now I'm a player…"

"Eh, yes, but…"

"And the losers who fail to do a good work are punished with death… Such is our way…" He muttered while making a smug smile.

He scoffed and spat some saliva at the ground before heading over to a car parked there and taking out his PET.

"Stealth Man. Do a good job." He commanded.

Stealth Man got inside of the car and unlocked it: Tokagawa climbed in and turned on the engine.

_Sidier…! You lowlife will pay for your conspiracy. I'll settle it with you and the Net Police one day…!_

"… See, Miyabi… That neophyte wasn't worth it in the end."

"Stop with that wording, will you?"

"Then let us name them that rejected disciple."

"Oh come on."

Miyabi was making his way across the city when Shadow Man began to joke again: he fumed.

"Saturday and Sunday are going to be quiet."

"Yeah. I believe Yamikawa is human enough to respect Christmas."

"Maybe he'll dive in the lagoon."

"I heard he already did."

"And I think that those "Light Armors" could've protected us from those waters too."

"You've been studying them?" Miyabi asked with some curiosity.

"Yeah… Too bad Knight Man would sink and would have it very had to rise again… Heh, heh, heh, heh."

"Don't bring up the battle with him two years ago."

"What? Ah. When "Gospel" hired me to delete him, the Anti – Virus System… Well. What happened back then with Freeze Man was a just a way of putting them out of their misery… Dr. Wily didn't have a use for them anymore, anyway." He shrugged.

"I know. But your previous Operator sure had you earn a lot of enmity: I guess the man never cared for what happened with you."

"Yeah… He let me loose most of the time and only cared about the money flowing into his accounts… But I don't remember them: maybe Dr. Wily erased that from me when he revived me."

"I'm not a robber like Deep Kabase."

"The exile?" He joked.

"Not "exile", the disgraced…" He corrected with some annoyance.

"And since he was former _ninja_ he was granted a swordsman named Sword Man… Heh, heh, heh. A stray soul the fool sure was."

"When will you tell me what's the point of that "stray soul" title you always come up with, Shadow Man?"

"Who knows? Maybe when the new _Ninja Gaiden_ game comes out? Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"Huff. I give up. Stray souls, _Naraku_… Why can't you think of something else? Or is that your way of saying you're original?"

"Ask my lawyer."

"You don't have a lawyer and never had: let devil bite me if I'm mistaken on that." Miyabi was skeptical

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… I feel good-humored."

"No wonder. Let's go to the mountains on the weekend to meditate and relax. I need to practice with the environment as well."

"And meet Mountain Man and Mountain Woman."

"Hmpf… Whatever… This isn't over. Not by a long shot…"


	24. Chapter 23: Relationships

**Chapter 23: Relationships**

11:55 AM (Japan Time), Thursday December the 22nd…

"… Come in."

"Thanks."

Netto and Enzan stepped into the bedroom: Netto lowered the blinders while Enzan locked the door.

"It'll feel good to discharge all of this tension before Christmas. They'll give us a break but then they'll be back at it." Netto commented.

"Those two lovebirds went on ahead, eh?" Enzan grinned as he looked at the black PC screen.

"Sure. You know Blues' motto: "battling is supposed to be fast"..." Netto grinned back.

"True." Enzan looked amused.

He then rummaged on his right pocket and took out what looked like a small thermal container which he left on top of the desk before he took out his vest and lifted his jumper to reveal his upper body.

_Heh, heh._

Netto was also taking off the orange vest and he then unbuttoned his white shirt.

"Please remember to be careful with my right shoulder, Enzan. It still needs a while to heal from the blow I got yesterday, you know." Netto reminded him.

"I'll be." Enzan replied.

They took out the jeans, which were followed by the socks: they stopped once they were on their boxers and Enzan walked over to Netto. He crouched and softly pulled them down to reveal Netto's cock: it had gotten aroused.

"Heh, heh. You get excited easily." Enzan told him.

"I'll go and have a sneak peek, too."

He also lowered Enzan's boxers and then used his nose to rub his cock until he reached the sack and softly massaged it with his fingertips: Enzan's cock began to get hard.

"Okay. Enzan. Go first." Netto told him.

"Good. I'll pick something, though." Enzan announced.

"And what's that?" Netto asked.

Enzan opened the small case and took out two small ice cubes: he walked over to Netto and rubbed his nipples with them: they got hard and Netto looked surprised.

"Whoa. Ice cubes can help your nipples to turn hard… And then they become more sensitive, too…" Netto whistled in surprise.

"Yeah. Look." Enzan grinned.

He also rubbed his nipples to get them hard before he placed the cubes on the case and sealed it up.

"Let's test the sensitivity." Enzan suggested.

"Roger!"

They hugged each other and made sure their nipples rubbed against the other one's nipples: they began to moan and looked like they liked it a lot: their cocks got hard and they then stopped.

"Okay. Let's get into the bed." Netto told him.

"Fine."

Both climbed into the bed and Netto assumed a face – down position as Enzan loomed over him.

"I'm gonna be soft." He told Netto.

"Good." Netto nodded in agreement.

"Here I come."

He quickly put one finger into Netto's insides to massage them and spread them open.

"Second." He warned with a smile.

"Yeah. I'll have seconds." Netto replied with a grin.

Enzan put a second finger inside and the entrance loosened up a bit while expanding open.

"Desserts."

"But not _deserts_." Netto made a pun.

"Heh, heh. Good joke."

He placed the third finger inside and finished massaging to allow the entrances to fully open: he then rubbed his cock until it was hard and placed the head on the entrance.

"I'm going in." He warned.

"Come in." Netto invited.

Enzan slowly pushed it inside of Netto's insides: Netto closed his eyes and began to slowly make some movements with his hands' fingers and wrists as if relaxing.

"Maha's relaxation exercises… They come in handy, don't they?" Enzan told him.

"Yeah. It allows me to discharge tension." Netto replied.

Enzan grinned and closed his arms around his waist.

"I'm gonna start." He whispered as he licked his right ear.

"Start." Netto replied.

Enzan began to pull out and push inside at a constant pace while he rubbed Netto's nipples with his fingers: Netto began to moan and closed his eyes as he felt his cock getting hard: Enzan noticed it, too, and gripped it with his right hand to rub it up.

"Ah…! My nipples…! Feel so good…!" He moaned.

"Heh, heh. My little idea was a good one, then." Enzan chuckled.

He kept on toying with Netto's sensible nipples and also rubbed his cock at a quick pace.

"Can't… hold on…! It's going out…!" Netto moaned.

He suddenly released and the spurts did get to stain his face: one or two fell inside of his mouth as well: Enzan felt his cock being tightened by inner muscles.

"Coming…!" He warned.

He also released and overfilled Netto's insides: he felt some of the liquid sliding down his cock so he pulled out and let Netto turn face-up on the bed and sit on his knees.

"Okay. Kiss." Enzan smiled.

They closed their eyes and approached their heads until they were making contact and they began to share a passionate kiss: they broke apart to breathe but spotted their string keeping them connected: Netto then tackled Enzan and closed his arms around his waist.

"Surprise." He announced.

"Heh. Not bad." Enzan grinned.

Netto placed one of his coated fingers into Enzan's insides and it slid inside in an easy manner: he repeated the same actions with his other two fingers before inserting his cock's head into Enzan's insides.

"My cock is knocking at your door, Enzan." Netto joked.

"Okay. Open it and come inside." Enzan calmly replied.

Netto grinned and slid his cock inside until it was fully inside: he let out a sigh of pleasure and began to pull out and push in at a quick pace as if wanting to discharge everything like this: he began to toy with Enzan's cock and nipples as well.

"W-whoa… So good… Feels good…!" Enzan muttered.

He suddenly released and stained his face and mouth: Netto clenched his teeth and released into Enzan's insides as well while sounding relieved: he then panted and collapsed on top of Enzan.

"Ah… I wanted to make it come out quick… And I feel better by now." He muttered.

"Heh. As long as you feel good…" Enzan grinned.

Netto took his cock out and Enzan tackled him next: he began a kiss with him as they rubbed their cocks and nipples together.

"Hmmm…"

They soon released and stained their upper torsos and faces: they licked the liquid and kissed for the third time.

"Netto… I _love_ you. Really. There's no other word to describe it." Enzan suddenly confessed.

"Enzan… Then I _love_ you, too." Netto smiled and looked rejoiced.

Netto pulled the covers over them and they continued on making out in an intense manner.

"… Oh! _Buruusu_!"

"Heh, heh. You love this, Saito."

Blues and Saito were making out inside of the PC's Cyber World: Blues kept his helmet and shades on while Saito was totally naked.

"O~h…!"

Saito was sitting on Blues' lap and looking forward as Blues' cock slid in and out of his insides: Saito was rubbing his cock and playing with his nipples while looking ecstatic.

"Keep at it, Saito. Your voice still has that lovely pitch to it which draws me in… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" Blues softly told him as he licked his ears.

"_Buruusu_…! You're overwhelming me! I'm… coming!" Saito moaned until he clenched his teeth.

Saito cried as he released and spurts flew off to stain his face and upper torso as some fell into his open mouth.

"Heh!"

His insides constricted and Blues released as well while overfilling Saito's insides: some of the liquid slid down his cock while both panted.

"Oh… _Buruuusu_… I love you. I really do." Saito told him.

"Then I'm glad to hear that, Saito. I'll help you in everything I can." Blues replied with a smile.

"Thank you, really…" Saito looked rejoiced.

"So… It'd seem you really like my cock. Why don't you go and have a taste of it?" Blues suggested.

"Better yet: let's go for the _six – nine_." Saito suggested.

Blues calmly assumed a face-up position on the bed while Saito detached and spread his body to have his mouth directly above Blues' cock and his own cock above Blues' one.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

"Go!"

Both began to suck and lick each other's cock: Saito used a slow pace and made sure to wrap his tongue around the whole head before licking the urethra several times: Blues used a quicker pace but made sure to lick both sides of the head next to the urethra.

"Hmmm…"

They kept at it for a minute or two before they released and overfilled each one's mouth: Saito then detached and turned around to then hug Blues and begin kissing him.

"Heh!"

Blues closed his arms around him as well and rolled over to have Saito beneath him: he suddenly stuffed his cock into Saito's insides and pulled it out a bit before pushing it inside: both broke apart to gasp for air and looked at their string connecting them.

"It'd seem your insides like the feeling of my cock, Saito."

"Yeah,_ Buruusu_. It feels good." Saito looked in a good mood.

"Then let's make it more intense." Blues challenged.

"You hyperactive lover…" Saito teased.

They pulled the covers over them and kept doing that.

"… Wait a minute!"

Eboshi Shuuichi, aged 13, had been sitting on the chair inside of his bedroom when the door bell rang out.

Today he wore a yellowish shirt with a small green tie along with navy blue shorts having suspenders attached to them plus a pair of boots.

He walked over to his house's entry hall and looked out through the peep hole.

"Oh? Tooru – kun…" He muttered.

He unlocked the door and found Hikawa standing there: he wore his usual jumper and jeans along with his shoes: he looked slightly nervous at something.

"Good afternoon, Tooru – kun." Eboshi greeted.

"Eh… Good afternoon, Shuuichi – kun… Are you… alone? Am I bothering you…?" Hikawa slowly replied while looking nervous.

"Yeah. Dad headed off to visit a friend and Hat Man went with him, so… No, you're not bothering. Is there something you want to speak about?"

"Could I come inside?" Hikawa requested.

"Oh. Sorry. Please come in: it's rather cold on the outside."

"Thank you…"

Hikawa stepped in and took off his shoes before putting on the slippers: both entered the living room and sat in front of each other on the sofas: Hikawa kept on looking nervous by something and Shuuichi frowned.

"You look troubled, Tooru – kun." Eboshi pointed out.

"It's… eh… hum…" He trailed off.

"Did something happen?" Eboshi asked.

"Well… Not exactly… But I've been… thinking… about…"

"About what?"

"Eh… No. Sorry. I better go back. I'm bothering you. I'll come another day… I don't feel ready to tell you yet." Hikawa suddenly blurted.

"Tooru – kun! Please wait! Could it be that…? You've been thinking about _me_?" Eboshi called out.

Hikawa suddenly blushed and lowered his gaze while abandoning his attempt to stand up: Eboshi seemed to have hit the mark.

"Shuuichi – kun… I didn't think that…" He slowly muttered.

Eboshi walked over to him and sat down to his right: Hikawa gasped and looked up at him.

"Tooru – kun. I've felt it ever since I transferred to Akihara Elementary School… I _liked_ you. You looked… cool… to me. You were a good classmate and you looked like a guide figure to me…" Eboshi admitted as he slightly blushed.

"Shuuichi – kun… I also felt it after I got to know you… You looked just like me: carefree and happy, but having your own problems… Even though I have Ice Man as Navi, he's too young to totally understand me… Netto – kun respects me as a classmate, but… I believe he has someone else already… So I found you, Shuuichi – kun…" Hikawa explained.

"And you came here because you wanted to make those feelings turn true, Tooru – kun?"

"If you're not ready, then… I won't force you." Hikawa replied.

However, Eboshi stood up and suddenly closed his arms behind Hikawa's head: he pulled it forward and he made contact with his lips.

"Huh!"

Hikawa looked stunned as Eboshi closed his eyes and calmly shared a kiss with him.

_Chance!_

Hikawa quickly closed his arms behind Eboshi's head and returned the kiss as he stood up and leant forward due to the small height difference between them.

"Huff!"

They suddenly broke free and both panted in surprise as they blushed and looked at the ground.

"Eh… Tooru – kun… Was this… your first time… getting kissed?" Eboshi slowly asked.

"Yeah… It was… Shuuichi – kun…" Hikawa admitted.

"Let's go to my bedroom." Eboshi suggested.

"Yeah… Please lead the way."

Both entered his bedroom: it had a bed and a desk as furniture along with a simple wooden chair: the desk had a framed photo of him and his father Mr. Hat set on there.

"Should we take off our clothes?"

"Eh… I won't force you, Shuuichi – kun."

Eboshi smiled and took off the suspenders before unbuttoning his yellow shirt: Hikawa walked over to him and looked at his body.

"You look… fantastic… Shuuichi – kun…" He muttered.

Hikawa rummaged on his pockets and took out several objects which surprised Eboshi: a small metallic padlock-like piece, a black leather band with a small red hole-filled spheroid set on it, one black marker pen, two clothes pegs (one made of plastic and colored red while the other was made of wood), a small and very thin white cylinder and lastly, a piece of black cloth.

"W-what…? Eh… Tooru – kun… What's all this?"

"… Tools." Hikawa replied.

"Tools…? But why would you want those?"

"Because I'm… into a trend…" Hikawa slowly replied.

"A trend…? Eh… Sorry. I don't know which… I'm not into all this volatile world of fashions and trends."

"… Ah. I didn't expect you to… Sorry." Hikawa apologized.

"Eh…?"

Hikawa took off his jumper and the shirt he wore beneath it: Eboshi gasped upon seeing how Hikawa had S&M gear set on him beneath his clothing.

"W-what are those?" He asked.

"It's… It's called S&M gear… It's a trend… A game…"

"That's supposed to be a game…?"

Hikawa merely took off the rest of his clothes and let Eboshi see his whole body: he was obviously surprised.

"And those "tools" are there because they are part of the game, you mean to say?"

"Yeah… Correct." Hikawa admitted.

Eboshi gasped and began to finish undressing as well.

"Wow. It's… perfect." Hikawa looked eager as he examined his whole body.

"P-perfect…?" Eboshi blushed.

"… Then… See, Shuuichi – kun… In this game… There are two persons: a master and the servant. The servant has to wear this gear to be reminded of his condition… So, you have to use the tools to play with my body and gain pleasure or excitement from it…" Hikawa explained.

"Uh… And you can't gain it? It looks like… Dunno… I don't know… One-sided… Unfair…"

"Well… If you don't like it, then… We can always do it in the normal manner…" Hikawa relieved him.

"… I see that you _get_ pleasure from this, so… I'll help you, Hikawa – kun. I want you to feel good."

"Ah…! Thank you, Shuuichi – kun…" Hikawa looked relieved.

"It's nothing… But could we switch places from time to time and do it in the normal manner, too? It'd be fairer, I think." He suggested while bringing the right hand to his chin.

"Yeah… Can you please help me gear up?" Hikawa requested.

"Sure. What do I have to do?"

"To begin with…"

Hikawa placed his arms behind his body and placed each forearm next to the other.

"… You need to pick the metallic piece and immobilize my wrists." He instructed.

"Like this?"

Eboshi placed the metallic piece between the two rings and it locked down thus immobilizing Hikawa's forearms.

"Next is… Use the wool cloth to cover my eyes."

"Cover the eyes…? Uh… Okay."

Hikawa crouched and Eboshi tied the blindfold around his eyes before he glanced at the other objects.

"Put the red clothes peg on my right nipple: it has to face forward. And then put the wooden one on my left nipple: it'll be horizontal. Lick them a bit to harden them before that." He instructed next.

Eboshi did as told and clipped both clothes pegs to Hikawa's hardened nipples: he made a smile and seemed to enjoy feeling them there.

"The marker goes into my insides: there'll be plenty of space left for you to enter, Shuuichi – kun." Hikawa told him.

Eboshi nervously nodded in understanding and slowly slid the marker into Hikawa's insides.

"The white cylinder goes into my urethra." He announced.

"Eh! But then you won't be able to let it out!"

"But if you make me hold it back and I then release, it feels ten times better." Hikawa insisted.

"Okay, okay…"

Eboshi softly pulled down the foreskin around Hikawa's cock: it suddenly became slightly harder at his touch: he gulped and slowly inserted the plug into Hikawa's urethra.

"Good. We're almost done. Place the spheroid on my mouth and then we're set." He commanded.

Eboshi placed it and adjusted it before Hikawa stood up and walked over to the bed to collapse face-down there; Eboshi climbed into it and rubbed his own cock before softly picking Hikawa and sitting him up on his knees.

"Tooru – kun… I'm going in." He announced.

Hikawa merely nodded to confirm as Eboshi also sat on his knees and forced his cock inside along with the marker.

_Wow._

He closed his eyes instinctively made his hands reach out Hikawa's nipples: he began to pull out and push in while tugging the clothes pegs and toying with Hikawa's nipples at the same time: his cock began to get hard.

"Tooru – kun… You like this. Am I right?" He whispered.

Hikawa merely signaled with the head and Eboshi lowered his right hand to tease Hikawa's balls before wrapping his fingers around the base and slowly caressed the whole shaft.

"Huh… Hikawa – kun… I'm going to play with your penis. Is that okay for you?"

Hikawa signaled again and Eboshi began to rub the head of it while still playing with the nipples and using his cock to penetrate Hikawa's insides: he kept at it for another two minutes and noticed how Hikawa's cock was eager to release.

"Hikawa – kun. I'll remove the plug: I don't want to see your struggling in pain… Okay?" He whispered to him.

Hikawa merely nodded with vigor: Eboshi removed the plug and Hikawa's cock went off: it stained his whole upper torso and face as well as some of Eboshi's given how he was leaning over the right shoulder.

"Tooru – kun!" He exclaimed.

He'd felt the inner muscles close around him and he then released while overfilling Hikawa's insides: he felt some of it slid down his cock and he panted: Eboshi suddenly removed the spheroid and Hikawa coughed as he tried to recover his breath.

"Tooru – kun! Was I… your first boy?"

"Yeah… Shuuichi – kun… You were." Hikawa confirmed.

"I'm glad of it…"

"Can I… have a taste of you… _master_…?" Hikawa asked.

"Huh? Ah! Yeah, yeah… I'm supposed to be the master… Eh… Please go ahead."

He turned Hikawa around and Hikawa automatically lowered his upper body to smell around and he noticed Eboshi's cock: he rubbed it with the nose and he then began licking it before pulling the foreskin back and starting to suck it up.

"W-whoa!" Eboshi gasped.

Hikawa began to take more of it inside until he hit the base: he began to suck and rub it while Eboshi automatically set a pace for him to follow: they kept at it for about two minutes before Eboshi released and overfilled Hikawa's mouth.

"Wow!"

Hikawa lifted his head and showed how his mouth was overfilled with the while liquid: Eboshi quickly pulled him towards his lips and he made contact thus starting a passionate kiss with him.

_Feels… good!_

They broke apart to gasp for air and Eboshi looked at the string linking them together: he smiled and closed his arms around Hikawa's waist to pull him down.

_I think we can do this!_

He made sure their cocks made contact and began to rub both of them together while making his own nipples brush against the clothes pegs: both began to moan.

"M-master…!" Hikawa muttered.

"No. There's no "master", Tooru – kun. It's me, Shuuichi. And we're friends… I don't want to abuse of you. I can't."

They both cried as they released and stained each other's body: they licked the liquid off and began another kiss: they broke and Eboshi turned Hikawa around to make them get into a six-nine position.

"I want to taste you, too, Tooru – kun. Let's taste each other…"

"… Thank you, Shuuichi – kun…" Hikawa smiled.

They began to suck and lick both of their cocks until they released and overfilled their mouths: they kissed and Eboshi helped Hikawa sit up on the bed before he rubbed his cock and he sat down to let it come inside of him while facing Hikawa.

"O~h!" Hikawa moaned.

Eboshi calmly lowered his body until he reached the base and then began to brush his body against Hikawa's clothes pegs while using his hips to move up and down.

"Shuuichi – kun… I'm…!" Hikawa muttered.

"You're making love to me. And there's no need for these anymore, Hikawa – kun… I don't want to just "play" with you… I want us to be a true couple which doesn't need this stuff."

He took out the clothes pegs, the marker and the blindfold: Hikawa looked surprised: he then unlocked the forearms and Hikawa automatically closed his arms around Eboshi's waist.

"Shuuichi – kun… You're right. I don't need to depend on this stuff anymore… I'll burn it and start anew…" Hikawa muttered.

Eboshi nodded and noticed how Hikawa was making his sensitive nipples rub against Eboshi's ones as well as rubbing his cock with his right hand to make him go off.

"Shuuichi – kun…!"

"Tooru – kun…!"

Eboshi went off first and stained Hikawa's upper torso and face while his inner muscles closed around Hikawa's cock and he released as well: they both panted and they collapsed on the bed with Eboshi being on top of Hikawa.

"Hikawa – kun… We're friends. We'll always be. Right?"

"Yeah… Shuuichi – kun… You're a very good friend."

Eboshi began to take off the S&M gear off Hikawa's body and tossed it to the ground: he noticed the imprints left behind.

"They'll soon leave. And you'll then be free from that obsession, Hikawa – kun… If you'd kept it like that, then that bad person would've won." He told him.

"Eh? I told you about that?" Hikawa frowned.

"No. I've realized. It wasn't a nightmare: I was really driven to my body limit… And that was through you, Hikawa – kun…"

"I'm very sorry! I didn't want you to recall that!" Hikawa apologized.

"There's no need to apologize. Maybe it's better this way. I understand that the others wanted to protect me, so they hid it… But I'm not afraid anymore. I won't let those bad persons win in the end." Eboshi replied as he massaged Hikawa's hair.

"Oh… Shuuichi – kun… Thank you. Really… Well… I guess I should be heading back home… It's almost lunch time. But you're invited to my house anytime." Hikawa thanked before inviting.

"Yeah. I'll accept your invitation, Tooru – kun. I'll come and we'll play together."

They both dressed up and Hikawa placed all of the S&M stuff in an old suitcase: they then cleaned up the room to make sure no obvious signs would be left behind.

"Well then… See you in a few days' time. Have a merry Christmas, Shuuichi – kun." Hikawa told him.

"We'll be in contact, Tooru – kun."

"_Bye – bye_!"

"Goodbye!"

"See you!"

Hikawa came out of the house and spotted a trash container: he tossed the suitcase inside and then sighed in relief.

_It's gone: this lingering curse is gone._

He calmly headed away while having the hands on his pockets and humming a tune.

_Heh, heh, heh._

He failed to see Togakawa spying on him from a nearby side alley and looking suspicious.

Today wore jeans, black leather boots plus a navy blue sweater with a brown falcon drawn into it, a blue scarf, a brown cap and sunglasses.

"… Hmpf." He made a smug smile.

He headed over to the container and picked the suitcase: he checked its contents and gasped in surprise.

"… S&M… I see. The guy must've been into it but has decided to quit it 'cause someone else must've found it to be out of place. Hmmm… Maybe I should go back to the base. I was told there was a newbie who needed to be handled properly." He muttered with a hint of amusement and eagerness to his voice.

He tossed it back inside of the container while making a smug smile and then hurried out of the area: he hid behind some garbage bins and looked around.

"No – one is following me… Heh. They must think I must be at 200 km from this district by now. "The enemy is closer than you think"… Heh, heh, heh. The _Organization_ won't be fooled so easily." He chuckled.

"True, Togakawa – sama."

"I'm too smart to be played upon by those freaks. I'll return this humiliation tenfold sooner or later. The _Organization_ won't let those guys laugh at our power… Everything… For the _Organization_'s sake!"

_Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, ha~h!_


	25. Chapter 24: Infinite Naraku

**Chapter 24: Infinite **_**Naraku**_

09:13 AM (Japan Time), Monday December the 26th…

"… Sidier. Have you understood your orders?"

"Yes, my Lord. I have."

Sidier was kneeling in front of Dark Ryuusei's throne: he looked amused and was leaning his right arm on the right armrest while using it to lean his head.

"Good. Remember: no cuts, no broken bones, no internal damage and no mutilation. Just use some kicks and punches but always remember to hold back. I want them getting out in one piece. They still have several roles to play in this _show_." Dark Ryuusei insisted.

"Roger. I shall not exceed thou commands, my Lord." He quickly confirmed.

"I see no doubt on you. Good. I'll be watching just in case. But it'd be better if I needn't warn you at all." Dark Ryuusei warned.

"Please leave it to me."

He stood up and saluted before he stepped out of the room and Dark Ryuusei smiled: he snapped his right hand's fingers and a holographic screen displaying the playground in Akihara City showed up.

"All that's left is setting up juicy and fresh bait." He muttered.

"Bait for the fish to fall for, you mean to say." Harp Note DS announced as she showed up out of nowhere.

"Wha! Somari – chan… You're playing around with that stealth camouflage again?" Dark Ryuusei gasped.

"Tee, heh, heh. I'm everywhere. I'm the _Invisible Girl_." She giggled.

"Fantastic…" He seemed to roll his eyes under his shades.

Harp Note DS merely giggled under her breath while Dark Ryuusei sighed in defeat.

09:24 AM (Japan Time)…

"… This is the place? I don't see anything out of place."

"Yeah. But it's gotta be a trap."

Netto had skated into the playground and looked around: there was no one around the area.

"Meijin – san told us there had been sightings of a Navi around this area's Cyber World, but…" Netto muttered.

"… There's no one in a 200 meters radius." Saito finished.

"My, my… It'd seem you're rather short-sighted, aren't you guys?" A voice rang out.

They gasped as they spotted an almost invisible figure sitting on top of the metallic structure of the playground.

"Sidier." Both muttered.

Sidier revealed his form and smiled at them as he stood atop the metallic structure.

"Showdown." He announced.

He made a gallant reverence as four "Dimensional Converters" emerged from the ground and formed a "Dimensional Area" around the playground thus sealing it off.

"Okay! Ready, niisan?"

"Ready!"

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Both of them performed Cross Fusion and "CF" Netto aimed his Rock Buster at Sidier.

"Heh, heh, heh. I'm going to make you sweat a lot this morning, Hikari and Rock Man. Behold… My true form!" He announced.

"Shit." Both growled.

Purple flames surrounded Sidier and he roared as he spread his arms open and the flames climbed up his body before covering it all and giving the impression that he was burning during some seconds.

"We're in trouble."

"Yeah, I know."

The flames cleared: Sidier had gained what looked like an extra layer of armored body colored deep brown with some white patterns drawn across it forming diamonds there and there.

His face remained the same but his red eyes displayed a murderous lust to them.

"Come! Power!" He announced while extending his open right hand forward in a commanding manner.

The ground shook as some data materialized and drew a round platform made of orange-colored tiles: it grew until it was about five meters on length and levitated until it stopped about 30 meters over the playground's sand.

"Fuck."

"I'll excuse that word."

Sidier showed up in front of them while having a smug smile to his face and looking intimidating.

"I'll let you two taste the Demon Tribe's Ultimate Execution Method: the _Infinite Naraku_!" He announced.

"We're doomed." "CF" Netto grimly muttered.

"You won't be able to stand against my overwhelming power as I keep on pushing you… And, when you reach the limit, I'll corner you and make you fall below!" Sidier announced in an intimidating voice.

"And then he'll proceed to slowly kill us… What a panorama."

"We should've written our wills."

"… Heh, heh, heh. I'd like to do that, but Dark Ryuusei – sama was very strict on my orders: you _must _come out in one piece. This is just a small prelude. You two still have some roles to play in this _show_. But I doubt His Grace being so generous next time around. I'll be looking forward to that moment!" Sidier explained.

"Phew." Both sighed in relief.

"But! That doesn't stop me from pushing you around and beating you up a bit. I'm eager to prove my true power to you guys: I won't be made a fool of like last time around." Sidier signaled them.

"Battle!" "CF" Netto challenged.

"Netto – kun! The guy is Breaking – Elemental. Swords and guns won't do damage. We need to counter with Breaker." Saito instructed.

"Roger. Battle Chip, Golden Fist!" "CF" Netto confirmed.

He tried to punch Sidier: he crossed his arms to protect but "CF" Netto delivered some relentless hits which began to push the enemy towards the edge.

"Hah!"

Sidier suddenly grinned and delivered a blinding fast kick with his right leg which made contact with "CF" Netto's upper torso: the air was knocked out of him for a second but then Sidier rammed into him and began to run across the platform.

"Grah! Battle Chip, Mega Cannon!"

"CF" Netto shot the Mega Cannon at close quarters but the blast bounced off and the recoil only worsened it: he actually fell and waved his arms in the air before he hit a new platform five meters below.

"Whoa~h!"

Sidier dropped down and began to knock on his helmet's forehead: it originated a persistent echo which dizzied "CF" Netto.

"Netto – kun!"

"Ugh… Battle Chip, Silver Fist!"

"CF" Netto stood up and began to punch Sidier as he looked out for his legs as if trying to see when he would counter.

"Hmpf."

However, Sidier merely arched his head back before hitting his helmet with force: the echo rang out again and "CF" Netto dizzied.

"O~w…"

Sidier then rammed forward and managed to push "CF" Netto out of the platform into a third one 20 meters above the ground level.

"Shit. If it's not the legs, he uses the skull… Guess he'll use the arms to counter next…" "CF" Netto muttered.

"We must focus on attacking, jumping back and then attacking again to try to inflict any real damage." Saito suggested.

"Okay. Battle Chip, Giant Hook!"

"What!" Sidier gasped.

Both fists showed up and the right one hit Sidier: he tried to keep it at bay but its mass was too much for even him to handle: he fell into the platform 15 meters above the ground while the other fist hit him and made him fly into the air before falling back.

"Now!"

"CF" Netto wasted no time on jumping down there and kicking Sidier's armored head to cause the echo sound on him, too.

"Why, you…!" Sidier growled.

"Bite us." "CF" Netto challenged.

"Yeah. And I'll suck your blood out…" He sounded sinister by now.

"Vampire…" Saito grumbled.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

Sidier merely swung his fists around before he jumped into the air and headed towards "CF" Netto.

"Chance! Jet Vernier!"

"CF" Netto ignited his jets and extended his fists forward as he built up speed while heading towards Sidier: both collided and "CF" Netto forced Sidier to land on the ground while aborting his earlier jump.

"Battle Chip, Zeus Hammer!"

"Useless!"

Sidier quickly jumped towards him while "CF" Netto merely swung the Zeus Hammer: the impact against Sidier's helmet formed some cracks on it and a piece of the armor jumped out.

"What!"

"CF" Netto quickly cancelled the Zeus Hammer and pushed Sidier forward with his hands: he hit the platform, skidded across it and fell down.

"Guo~h!"

He hit the fourth platform 10 meters above the ground and quickly stood up as "CF" Netto dropped in while having the Zeus Hammer drawn once again.

"Huff… Huff… At least you'll make this more interesting… But… Can you actually defeat me?" He challenged.

His two hands glowed with purple electricity and he extended his arms to form a straight parallel line spanning from the north-east to the south-west.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah!"

He changed the pattern three times to cover all eight compass directions and eight purple spheres frizzling with electricity were left floating around him as he quickly walked towards "CF" Netto.

"I don't like their looks."

"Those spheres seem to be mere electricity… They'll try to attack us while we try fighting the guy." Saito reported.

"Gotcha."

"CF" Netto readied his fists and assumed a combat trance as Sidier suddenly extended his right leg forward and tried to hit "CF" Netto with the right arm accompanied by four streaks of electricity.

"Dodge!"

"CF" Netto jumped two steps back and quickly ran around the circle before heading for Sidier from the north-east.

"What?" Sidier gasped.

The eight spheres interlinked and shot one fused streak of electricity at "CF" Netto: he merely jumped over and hit Sidier's forehead with his right foot's soil.

"Take kick!"

More cracks formed on the armor in the upper portion of his helmet and he was forced to back up.

"T-this JERK…!" He cursed.

He roared and the eight spheres formed the same pattern: they began to shoot electricity at his own body instead and it frizzled all across it as he made a psychotic grin.

"Heh, heh, heh. It's time for the shock therapy: 100, 000 DC volts!" He announced with a broad grin.

He suddenly dashed forward: "CF" Netto jumped towards the west but Sidier could stop his movement and aim for the direction "CF" Netto was at: he rammed into him and electrocuted him as "CF" Netto fell down into the fifth platform 5 meters above the ground.

"Guoah! Grah! Yargh! Ugh!" He groaned.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Groan, groan AND GROAN!"

"C-crap…! This thing is worse than… Elec Man… Magnet Man or… Cloud Man…!" Saito hissed.

Sidier landed on the platform and smiled as he walked over to "CF" Netto at a quick pace: his body was still frizzling with electricity.

"Battle Chip, Lightning!"

The lightning rod appeared and drew in all of the electricity only to be shot back at Sidier, recharging him.

"Shit. Bad move." "CF" Netto cursed.

"Say hi to Ms. Sand." Sidier sarcastically announced.

"Jet Ve…!"

"Too slow!"

Sidier gripped both of his shoulders with his hands and the electrical current travelled down "CF" Netto's body: he yelled in agony and was then kicked in the balls before tossed into the sand patch where the slide was placed at.

"Uack!"

He landed there and groaned while the platform descended and vanished altogether.

"Hmpf. If you were unable to work your way around when I'm not being serious, then expect 0% chances of surviving our next encounter. This was barely worth it but orders are orders, after all." Sidier shrugged.

He turned around and began to walk out when he was hit by an electrical discharge which covered his whole body: he roared and his armored skin began to jump out on some spots as he collapsed on his knees: "CF" Netto had managed to draw a Custom Bolt and shoot it at the guy.

"Grah… Opposite polarity electricity can affect my true form… Hmpf. So you pulled a desperate trick… Maybe you need another kick on the balls to straighten you out. Heh, heh, heh, heh…" Sidier muttered with a hint of annoyance.

He stood up and walked towards "CF" Netto without minding the fragments of his skin jumping off on his wake: "CF" Netto tried to crawl out but he was obviously still in pain.

"Hmpf. Say hi to Lord Pain." Sidier made a smug smile.

"Drill Arm!"

"CF" Netto suddenly stood up and plunged the Drill Arm into the large white diamond placed on Sidier's chest: he roared and it shattered thus cancelling the whole armored form.

"Hroa~h!"

"CF" Netto didn't stop there and plunged it into his chest emblem: his body began to frizzle and looked like it wouldn't be able to stay materialized for much longer.

"D-damn! I'll remember this!" He cursed.

He quickly dematerialized while "CF" Netto managed to drag his feet into a nearby bench and sat down on it while panting and trying to cope with the earlier kick.

"O~w… That felt like an express train ramming into you at a 100 km / hour… What a morning! And the guy was holding back, too! We'll have to be careful or we won't survive our next encounter…!" "CF" Netto cursed aloud between groans.

"Yeah… Anyway… Let's go back home once you can walk."

"Uh-unh…" "CF" Netto muttered.

The "Dimensional Converters" disappeared and "CF" Netto reverted out of "Cross Fusion": he picked his Link PET and placed it on its place.

"Hikari Netto. Are you alright?" Someone asked.

Miyabi walked towards him and Netto looked slightly surprised.

"Oh. Miyabi… Uh-unh… More or less… I don't have anything broken or anything, but… A kick _down there_… Is Hell itself." Netto replied.

"Uh. I can imagine that." Miyabi grimly muttered.

"_Down there_…?" Shadow Man frowned.

"It only works on human males." Miyabi quickly replied.

"Ah. I'll drop it, then." Shadow Man shrugged.

"He was toying around." Miyabi deduced.

"Yeah. And I really hope not to have him when he's allowed to go all out on us… Did you locate that Togakawa guy, by the way?" Netto muttered before asking.

"We tried interrogating his master, but… It turned out that someone had helped him flee and that a hologram was taking his place. His roommate is being heavily questioned but they've got nothing vital out of him yet. He once heard Sneaky talking about some "Organization" which had "deep reaches" everywhere." Miyabi explained.

"What the hell!" Netto cursed.

"Crap." Saito muttered.

"Yeah. And Eboshi contacted the Net Police: he'd seen the guy rummaging in the garbage container near his house. He then ran off the area but it was obvious that he was investigating your companions, Hikari." Miyabi added.

"This is getting messy again. Let's go back home already and discuss a plan of action there."

"Yeah. I don't want to waste resources on a stray soul. Or maybe I should say I don't want to spend my energies on chasing a neophyte." Shadow Man added with a hint of sarcasm.

The group walked out of the playground but failed to spot Togakawa's invisible form hidden at some distance and watching through binoculars while having a smug smile on his face.

_Heh. Think while you can. A living Hell is awaiting you… Hikari! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… We're a bunch of geniuses!_


	26. Chapter 25: New gen enemies

**Chapter 25: New gen enemies**

07:57 AM (Spain Time), Tuesday December the 27th…

"… We now have a total of four "new gen" units and five "elites" to protect the supercomputer… Three more "elites" are under production to add up to the planned eight…"

"That is good enough. However…"

"Yeah? What's up?"

Obihiro, Hunter Man and Death were having their usual meetings to discuss production when Death trailed off, for once.

"… Do you know any eyes which are made of fire and have a black and lifeless pupil to them? I spotted one inside of the Cyber World of our portal machine… It was seemingly scanning it. It noticed me and fled but I could recognize it was an avatar…" Death brought up.

"Eye made of fire… Black and lifeless pupil… Wait. Do you mean the _Eye of Mordor_ from the _Lord of the Rings_ movie trilogy?" Obihiro brought a hand to his chin.

"Ah? So the design is, as I suspected, extracted from somewhere else, after all?" Death asked.

"Yeah. There's no mistaking it. But I doubt it being the Net Police… Maybe the Dark Realm was experimenting with it?" Hunter Man suggested while seemingly frowning under his shades.

"What?" Sidier asked as he stepped in.

"Sidier… Is Kuroumi – sama fond of the _Lord of the Rings_? We've spotted an avatar shaped like the _Eye of Mordor_…" Obihiro brought up.

"Frankly… I dunno. It could be Somari - chan trying to pull a joke or Yamikawa – sama running some experiment… Only they have access to the means to project into the "outside world"…" Sidier frowned and looked unsure.

"Hmmm… Yet…" Death muttered.

"What?" Hunter Man asked.

"… Do not mind it. I thought I could feel some kind of "aura" or "presence" to it but I may have imagined it."

"We can settle that later on… Let's show them what stuff our "new-gen" units are made of." Obihiro shrugged.

"… Yeah. Go ahead. I'll go back. This topic is picking me off. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but… I want to clear it up." Sidier muttered.

"It would be good if it could be clarified. Go ahead." Death suggested.

"Okay. Later, guys."

Sidier ran off the room while Hunter Man checked on another of the robots by looking at an LCD screen's display.

"Shun – sama. All is ready."

"Good! Let's send Two and Three: they should teach the _golden duo_ what subtleness is about." Obihiro announced.

"Let the mark I granted into them lead them into self-destruction: we shall save ourselves some unnecessary efforts." Death announced.

"… What? The _Eye of Mordor_…? I know it. But I don't have such a hologram, Sidier…"

"Ah… Sorry to have bothered you, Solo."

Sidier was speaking with Solo inside of the temple's main corridor: he looked surprised.

"What's this about Mordor?" Somari asked.

"Somari – chan. I apologize, but… Did you, by any chance, project a hologram of the _Eye of Mordor_ in the refuge's portal machine?" Sidier asked of her.

"No. I hadn't thought of that. I'm busy enough coming up with a giant-sized hologram to scare some guys off. And I'm not that much of a fan of Peter Jackson's trilogy, anyway." She admitted.

"Thank you for sparing you valuable time with me. I shall consult Yamikawa - sama." He reported.

He headed towards the doors and stepped into the main chamber: Saruba had reverted out of his battle form and was practicing _kendo_ with a dummy: he stopped to seemingly wipe off his sweat and spotted Sidier standing there and saluting.

"Sidier? I thought you'd gone check on Obihiro." He frowned.

"I sincerely apologize, my Lord, but Death Shadow request of me to investigate a certain matter…" He bowed.

"Death – dono did? What's it about?" Saruba asked.

"Eh… Has Yamikawa – sama project a hologram with the _Eye of Mordor_ into the refuge's Time Space Device's Cyber World by any chance?" He exposed.

"What? The _Eye of Mordor_…? I know what you mean, but… No. I have no need to project such things." He replied.

"Strange, then… Solo and Somari – chan were not, Yamikawa – sama was not, Obihiro and Hunter Man wouldn't bother and Death didn't know what it was to begin with and he wouldn't stage for such a thing… But I doubt it being Forte or the Net Police: they'd dropped by there by now if they knew the place's location." Sidier muttered.

"Yeah. That reasoning is totally logical, yet… I feel like there's more to it for some reason. It can't be the so-called _Organization_ to which Sgt. Sneaky and Togakawa belong: they don't have the means to and Togakawa was never told the refuge's emplacement apart that it was "somewhere in Spain"… And he won't want to know anything about us anymore given how Solo told the Hong Kong guys about Sgt. Sneaky's escape route…" Saruba thought aloud.

"Truly odd, sir."

"Ain't it? I'm starting to wonder if someone else is involved."

"But who would that be? That's the enigma, sir."

16:06 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Shuryou."

"What's up, Freeze Man?"

Freeze Man was reporting to Gospel inside of the hideout: his diamond was located close by too.

"I spotted an avatar taking the form of the _Eye of Mordor_ spying on us. It fled but I somehow don't think the _triumvirate_ was behind it: they'd gain nothing." Freeze Man reported.

"Weird! Who could it be, then…? A new fourth party…? Let's see: the Net Police, we, the _triumvirate_ and this "Eye of Mordor" thing… Something tells me it won't stop here: someone is very interested on collecting information. It may be a foreign power like Dark Land, even." Gospel muttered aloud.

"… It's a possibility, true, Shuryou." Freeze Man acknowledged.

"Try to corner it or taunt it next time it shows up: the one behind it may fall for the bait and spit out something out in accident." Gospel commanded.

"Roger."

The screen shut down while Freeze Man stood up and brought the right hand to his chin while seemingly thinking about something.

"… No. Not yet. Maybe… Let's wait some days. An opportunity may present itself…" He muttered.

"… Togakawa – sama."

"What's up, Stealth Man?"

Togakawa was seemingly practicing his aim in a shooting gallery by aiming at cardboard figures of persons: today he'd taken out his sunglasses revealing him to have red crimson eye irises and that his earlier green irises could've been contacts to hide that fact: he looked bored and unimpressed.

"I found a strange avatar program shaped like the _Eye of Mordor_ roaming around the base… Camouflage Man – sama tried to corner it but it fled before he could properly analyze it… Security has been heightened. I was commanded by Sgt. Sneaky – sama to report it." Stealth Man reported with a hint of nervousness.

"Hum. And the way it behave it didn't suggest the Net Police: while they have some idea of the existence of the _Organization_, they'd rather break in and attack us instead of being so sneaky." Togakawa slightly frowned and lowered the gun for a moment.

"Also… An anonymous email has appeared on everyone's inboxes… It sounds threatening, even." Stealth Man added.

"What does it say?" Togakawa questioned.

"… "Ra will gain its power from the gathering of 3 Sacrifices. However, God shall only obey the one who offers the ancient spell to the sky. God shall revive from the earth. The servant will devote its life to complete its resurrection rite… All enemies on the battlefield shall become corpses along with flames in just one moment… In just one moment, God shall become a phoenix. The chosen Monsters will sleep within the Land." … It sounds terrific enough, does not it?" Stealth Man read aloud before voicing his opinion.

"Idiot. Someone ripped this off a fantasy _anime _or _manga_ and they're running a massive prank by using several mail servers to forward it to multiple remittent guys. It's nothing to be scared about!" Togakawa scoffed and sounded unimpressed.

"I don't share that opinion, Emil." A man's voice announced.

A man stepped into the room through a door in the south side: he looked on his thirties and close to a meter and seventy tall.

He had a small brown mustache, brown hair and blue – irises eyes.

He wore camouflage – colored clothes, military boots and a cap.

"Sgt. Sneaky. What is your opinion, master?" Togakawa asked.

"I believe this was aimed for us. And I believe the culprit behind it is the so-called _triumvirate_." The man, Sgt. Sneaky, announced.

"What does Camouflage Man – sama think?" Stealth Man asked someone else.

A Navi projected out of Sgt. Sneaky's Link PET which was colored in camouflage colors and its emblem was a patch of different tones of camouflage colors.

He, too, was colored with camouflage colors.

He had a mouth guard on while his eyes' irises were brown: the helmet had some leafs attached to it as if to provide further camouflage.

His emblem was a patch of camouflage colors: he had some curve-shaped lines with patches of brown and green along his arms and legs while his central body had black lines drawing the borders between the different camouflage patches.

The Navi also seemed to be carrying a scout knife and grenades.

"The origin address doesn't lead anywhere. I'm sure this is a warning of something." Camouflage Man announced.

"Anyway… Emil. Wrap up your training and then come to my room: there's job to be done." Sgt. Sneaky commanded.

"Yes, sir. By your orders." He saluted.

"Good man." Sgt. Sneaky replied.

"Thank you very much, sir."

Sgt. Sneaky exited the training room while Togakawa stored the gun on a holster he carried beneath his sweater.

"Stealth Man. Go and check the inventory." He commanded.

"Roger."

Togakawa walked down some barely lit stone corridors until he reached a door labeled "Sgt. Sneaky".

"Here it is."

He knocked on it and Sgt. Sneaky opened the door: Togakawa stepped into a small bedroom which had a bed with iron railings, a small table with portable chairs set around it and one adjacent restroom.

"Hum."

A video camera mounted on a tripod was set facing the bed and had enough height to be able to film in an unobstructed manner.

"Sir."

Togakawa merely saluted and Sgt. Sneaky signaled the bathroom: Togakawa headed into it and closed the door while Sgt. Sneaky made a sinister smile as he adjusted something into the camera.

_Time for some recording… Heh, heh, heh…_

"… Jeez. They had to direct us to this place of all ones."

"Yeah. And I can guess why."

Netto and Enzan stepped into an abandoned factory-like building which was rather unlit: Netto looked annoyed while Enzan was calm.

"This is the place where a year ago "Zoan" Pharaoh Man parked his pyramid during the Net Navi Remodeling Scheme. And when Trill tried to help niisan to fight both the guy and the remodeled "Zoan" Spark Man, their fusion led into a terrible rampage…" Netto grimly muttered.

"… Yeah. I still haven't atoned for my sins. I should've done that time ago to begin with." Saito muttered.

"No! Nissan! You weren't conscious: Papa told me! You had really become a monster with no rational thinking! It was thanks to Iris that she was able to split you two off. So you're not to blame for actions you didn't do because you weren't conscious of them!" Netto insisted.

"As far as I know, Bubble Man had to show up and he ruined the whole effort you'd made trying to seize him because his attacks lacked aim and they broke the restrains, right?" Blues recalled.

"Yeah. Dingo told me." Enzan confirmed.

"Anyway… The past can be discussed later. Show up, you ugly and deformed robots!" Netto challenged.

"We're ready for anything you guys throw at us!" Enzan challenged next while taking a step forward.

"Unit Thanatos – Two: acquiring targets."

"Unit Thanatos – Three: acquiring targets."

"Meijin – san! Please deploy the "Dimensional Area"!" Netto called out through his Link PET.

"_San wa iranai_! Dimensional Area: Activate!" Meijin replied.

The "Dimensional Area" quickly formed around the building.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"… Targets ID: Hikari Netto and Rock Man EXE. Orders: annihilate all targets."

".. Targets ID: Ijuuin Enzan and Blues EXE. Orders: annihilate all targets."

"Battle Chip, Custom Bolt!"

"Battle Chip, Variable Sword!"

"Battle Chip, Lighting. Slot In."

"Battle Chip, Curse Shield. Slot In."

"CF" Netto's custom bolt was intercepted by the lighting and shot back towards him while "CF" Blues was pushed back by the Curse Shield: "CF" Netto managed to dodge the counterattack and looked towards "CF" Blues: "CF" Blues nodded and signaled the left.

"Battle Chip, Curse Shield!"

"Battle Chip, Curse Shield!"

"Battle Chip, Drill Arm. Slot In."

"Battle Chip, Drill Arm. Slot In."

Both robots jumped towards the two "Net Saviors" and began to drill through the Curse Shields: they broke through them but found that "CF" Netto and "CF" Blues had switched places: both had a Tank Cannon Battle Chip drawn.

"Tank Cannon!" Both announced.

They shot the blast at close-quarters and managed to make a dent on both of the robots' armor: however, some minuscule black spots came out of the body and quickly repaired the wound.

"Auto – repair nanomachines: repairs complete."

"Shit. Death recreated his own tech into them!" "CF" Netto growled.

"And the same trick won't work twice, either." "CF" Blues muttered.

"Orders: annihilate all targets."

"Battle Chip, Area Steal, Mega Cannon! Double Slot In!"

"Battle Chip, Area Steal, Elec Blade! Double Slot In!"

Both warped as the robots turned around to meet them: however, they reappeared on the same spot and quickly ran towards the jetpacks.

"Let's go!"

"CF" Netto placed his Mega Cannon's muzzle next to it while "CF" Blues plunged the Elec Blade into the other one's back.

"Elec Blade!"

"Mega Cannon!"

Elec Blade had no visible effect on the robot's jetpack while the Mega Cannon bounced off and the recoil pushed "CF" Netto back.

"What? They have some kind of extra armor?" "CF" Netto realized.

"Yeah. And it must be plastic or a similar compound: it doesn't conduct electricity in an efficient manner." "CF" Blues grumbled.

"Damn. They _do_ learn, after all." Saito grumbled.

"Yeah. And we're in a pinch." Blues growled.

"Orders: annihilate all targets."

"Che! I'm tired of that stupid motto. Let's risk it! Battle Chip, Geyser, Tornado! Double Slot In!"

"Battle Chip, Elec Blade!"

The combined Geyser and Tornado soaked the ground: "CF" Netto jumped and hovered above the air while "CF" Blues hit the ground with the Elec Blade: given how it was made of metal, the electricity was conducted across it and crawled across the robots' body: they began to utter noises and move in an erratic manner.

"Now! Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!"

"Program Advance! Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Dream Sword!"

Both Program Advances met their targets and caused an explosion.

"Did that do it?"

The smoke cleared and a large patch of the robots' front armors were broken and shattered: the nanomachines were starting to regenerate it but the two "Net Saviors" were already running forward.

"Battle Chip, Long Blade!"

"Battle Chip, Wide Blade!"

"Warning. Danger level above 3: tactical withdrawal enforced." The robots announced.

The purple portal opened behind them and sucked them in before it suddenly closed: both ran past it and quickly stopped before turning around.

"Damn. They'll increase the repairs speed next time around. And they'll find a way to make them invulnerable to electricity, too!" "CF" Netto cursed aloud.

"Guess so… Anyway… We managed to get out of this one intact, so… Let's head back to the Science Labs." "CF" Blues replied.

They reverted out of "Cross Fusion" and picked their Link PETs before they placed them on their holders.

"Rescuing old combos is useful, too. We should take that into mind, Netto – kun." Saito told him.

"I agree with Saito's opinion: we must try to mix them up so that they have a harder time coming up with a counter." Blues added.

"Yeah. Anyway… Let's head back. This place gives me the creeps." Netto shrugged.

"The limo is waiting outside." Enzan announced.

They headed out of the building and found the IPC limo waiting there: they both climbed inside and sat next to the other in the rearmost seat while it departed the area: Netto was distractedly glancing at the industrial landscape while seemingly thinking.

_This is about to spiral out of control…_

"… Dr. Hikari."

"Oh. Dr. Regal. What is the matter?"

Dr. Regal entered the Science Labs' main room while looking concerned about something.

"That is… Someone copied and stole Rock Man's backup data." He announced.

"What?" Yuuichirou gasped.

"His backup data…?" Meijin wondered.

"I tried attacking the culprit but it was in vain: it was an avatar." Laser Man reported.

"It was shaped like some kind of eye made out of fire… Maybe you have seen it somewhere before?" Dr. Regal suggested.

"The _Eye of Mordor_…?" Meijin wondered.

"Ah… Wasn't that in the _Lord of the Rings_ movies? They aired the _Return of the King_ yesterday on TV and we all watched it together at home… It was on top of that tower…" Yuuichirou recalled.

"Something leads me to believe it wasn't the _triumvirate_: they would have no need for that, given how Sidier's design is based off "Cross Fusion" Rock Man to begin with." Dr. Regal exposed.

"True. Then… It's a new party? They could've been waiting for a chance to do this… But… Wait. It didn't break through the firewalls?" Meijin suggested before frowning.

"No. It formed out of nowhere and even froze that patch of the Network for about 55 seconds: I couldn't see anything through the PET and Laser Man's processes were all frozen. By the time the effect faded, the culprit had already escaped." Dr. Regal exposed.

"The culprit must be an extremely powerful Navi!" Yuuichirou gasped.

"It _has_ to be: no other Navi we know of has been capable of doing such a thing before." Meijin muttered.

"However… What would they gain from picking the backup data, anyway? It's missing one component for safety reasons: I store it elsewhere. They couldn't fully rebuild Rock Man from it: they'd be missing a key component which makes up around 15% of his code." Yuuichirou muttered while frowning.

"Maybe it is a challenge?" Laser Man suggested.

"It could be: the culprit must want to impress us and he decided to do that not because he _needed_ Rock Man's data: he wanted to make a demonstration of its power."

"The only problem left will be finding out its identity and motives: but suh an avatar can't hope not to call the attention wherever it appears at." Dr. Regal suggested.

"True…"

17:02 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh… This was a piece of cake. Really… They don't know the classical proverb: "fool me once, you're to shame. Fool me twice, I'm to shame" … Anyway… I got this stuff. I'll then go and pick the other. And I'll work on recreating the missing DNA string. It won't be very hard, anyway… I'll wait for a while before putting my plan forward. I firstly want to watch how this nice _show_ unfolds itself: it'll be interesting to see. But if I can play prophet, then I'd say that it'll wrap itself up before New Year's, even! Heh, heh, heh…"

The "Eye of Mordor" was floating around the old WWW base and a voice was booming out of it: it sounded like a male's.

"Our beloved monsters… Enjoy yourselves… This show is quickly escalating and it'll soon run into the climax. I'll allow for a little pause before my own show kicks off and you'll see the subtleness I can crave… Eh… No. "Build" would be a more correct verb. Whatever… You won't be able to trace me and you'll be filled with doubt and confusion until I come out into the scene… Heh, heh, heh… I'm a genius!"

A holographic screen displaying Death Shadow looking towards the camera popped out: it looked like a recording.

"Heh, heh, heh. They sure must be puzzled over there. Who did that and why didn't they tell the Net Police? Stop 1."

The screen showed Freeze Man looking at the camera while frowning as they were standing in the small ledge the diamond had on the lower half and using the upper one as support: four hydraulic pistons seemed to allow it to open and close.

"Wanting to take refuge in your _igloo_, Mr. Freeze V2? Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Stop 2!"

The next screen showed Camouflage Man aiming a Mega Cannon Battle Chip at the camera while looking pissed off.

"Those guys could be dangerous. Maybe I should tackle them. Let's just have some fun teasing 'em… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"


	27. Chapter 26: Foreign attacks

**Chapter 26: Foreign attacks**

11:33 AM (Spain Time), Tuesday December the 27th…

"… Well! I'd say Two and Three did a pretty well job but those guys are getting sharper."

"True. Maybe it is the time for a display somewhere else."

"Such as…?"

"A foreign country would do fine."

Obihiro, Death and Hunter Man were going over the results of what had happened during the day.

"Heh. I know two persons whom would do fine test subjects." Obihiro grinned.

"Heh, heh, heh. Yeah… I can imagine who they are." Hunter Man chuckled and sounded amused.

Some music including trumpets began to echo inside of the refuge: they all gasped and looked around.

"That music… _Amon Hen_! It's from the _Lord of the Rings_ film trilogy soundtrack...! Who the…?" Obihiro cursed.

"That _Eye of Mordor_ thing is back?" Hunter Man wondered.

"Look over there." Death commanded as he drew his arm cannon.

The _Eye of Mordor_ was floating there and seemingly looking at them without blinking or moving.

"It _is_ an avatar… But I cannot scan what is hiding behind it." Death announced.

"Show your hide!" Hunter Man challenged.

The eye shone and some Alphabet letters were projected into the air thus forming a message in English.

"Huh… "Can't do that"… _Sou wa dekinai_…" Obihiro translated.

"Is there a reason?" Death demanded.

"… "Need Not To Know"… _Shiru hitsuyou wa nai_… You like playing the spy movies guy?" Obihiro questioned.

"…"Maybe"… _Tabun_…" Hunter Man translated.

"Ah. You're Mr. Universe, then?" Obihiro tried to guess.

"… "Correct"… _Tadashi_…" Hunter Man read the answer.

"You are not capable of speaking?" Death questioned.

"…"Dunno"… _Shiranai_… I'm sure you can: you're just testing our intelligence, aren't ya?" Obihiro told him while looking annoyed.

"…"Clever"… _Kosakashii_… Oi. Do you think we'd made it this far if we weren't clever?" Hunter Man growled.

"Show your repulsive face." Death challenged.

"…"Go to Hell"… _Jigoku he iku_… Bothersome meddling guy!" Obihiro growled upon reading its next message.

"…"Dragon"… _Ryuu_? What dragon?" Hunter Man seemed to frown under his shades.

"…"Empire"… _Teikoku_? The Galactic Empire, you mean to say?" Obihiro guessed with a hint of suspicion on his voice.

"Who are you lowlife?" Death demanded.

"…"A servant"… _Shimobe_? Who's your master?" Hunter Man asked.

"…"Emperor"… _Koutei_? Palpatine?" Obihiro frowned.

"…"More or less"… _Daitai gurai_… We need a specific answer!" Hunter Man growled.

"…"His ghost"… _Yatsu no boorei_… The Force Ghost of Palpatine…? He didn't have one: he had plenty of spare bodies." Obihiro frowned and seemed to be thinking aloud.

"…"Time"… _Jikan_…?" Hunter Man frowned.

The "Eye" suddenly vanished into nowhere while the music stopped playing: they looked around but they didn't spot him anywhere.

"He is not visible even by using IR and X – Ray… He is gone." Death announced as he lowered his arm cannon.

"He was teasing us: that's what he was doing." Obihiro growled.

"What a bothersome guy… Anyway… We should get Two and Three ready for their respective sorties." Hunter Man growled.

"… Huff. I hope I finish these soon."

Princess Pride of Cream Land was sitting on the chair behind her castle's office desk and signing some documents: she wore her usual "civilian" outfit whenever she went out somewhere.

"Princess Pride – sama: I have a message from an unknown sender which is labeled as "important"… What should I do?" Knight Man reported.

"Read it, Knight Man." Pride commanded.

"Roger. Message: "Junk is about to rain down into your Grace's subtle, magnificent and beautiful outer yard. It may even dare to spoil your luxury time and have you sweat. But do not blame me: the trio is to blame for coming up with them. Yours truly, Sauron – sama." … Hum! It is threatening us!" Knight Man read before grumbling.

"What? Ever since when is the outer yard "subtle, magnificent and beautiful"? And how does junk "rain down", anyway? Wait. Junk…? Metal… A trio… Making me sweat… Exercise… Fighting…? Oh! It couldn't be that…!"

They heard a loud crash sound on the outer yard followed by shrieks and machinegun fire: Pride gasped and ran next to the window: one of the robots was standing in the outer yard and filling the walls with rows of bullet indentations.

"Knight Man! Contact the "Dimensional Area Laboratory": we need a "Dimensional Area" here and now! One of these robots is attacking us and I need to fight back!" Pride commanded.

"Roger, Princess – sama!"

Knight Man departed the PET: a "Dimensional Area" formed in less than three minutes later.

"Let's go!"

Pride opened the balcony doors and jumped over the handrail into the yard three meters below: she took out her "Synchro Chip" and hid behind a column.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

She performed "Cross Fusion" and jumped into the scene while aiming her wrecking ball at the robot.

"Unit Thanatos – Two: acquiring targets. Targets ID: Pride and Knight Man EXE. Orders: annihilate all targets." The robot announced.

"Royal Wrecking Ball!"

"CF" Pride swung it into the air and shot it towards the robot: it ignited the jet pack and quickly flew skyward to dodge it as it was being pulled back towards "CF" Pride.

"Battle Chip, Magma Seed. Slot In."

The robot tossed the Magma Seed at "CF" Pride: she quickly jumped and rolled across the ground to dodge before standing up.

"Battle Chip, Machine Gun!"

She shot the machinegun towards the robot as it was still flying on the sky and looking at the empty magma pond.

"Battle Chip, Dream Aura. Slot In."

The machinegun shots bounced off the Dream Aura: the robot then accelerated and headed towards her.

"Battle Chip, Grass Seed. Slot In."

"What?"

The Grass Seed hit the ground and some vines appeared: however, when they touched "CF" Pride, she was replaced by a log and reappeared on the air behind the robot: she shot three _Shuriken_ at its back but it dodged at the last second.

"They're getting quicker…! There'll be no end like this!"

"Battle Chip, Super Vulcan. Slot In."

"Battle Chip, Straw Doll!"

"CF" Pride made the straw doll show up: it got hit by the Super Vulcan rounds and glowed with a purple aura before shooting the attacks back at the robot with double power: they began to make some dents and cracks on its armored but the nanomachines came out.

"Now! Battle Chip, Thunder Ball!"

She shot the Thunder Ball at one of the wounds and the resulting electrical discharge blew up the nanomachines trying to repair it: more began to come out.

"Che! Battle Chip, Mag Bolt!"

She drew a magnet and began emitting a magnetic force: the nanomachines frizzled and began to spread in random directions before blowing up: the wounds remained opened.

"Battle Chip, Area Steal, Fire Blade! Double Slot In!"

She warped and plunged the Fire Blade into one of the wounds: the heat began to melt the inner thinner armor and expose some of the internal circuitry.

"Warning. Auto – repair nanomachines system failure. Damage detected in chest circuitry. Danger level: 3. Tactical withdrawal enforced." The robot announced.

They stepped back and entered the purple portal while "CF" Pride sighed in relief and reverted out of "Cross Fusion": she picked her Link PET.

"Princess – sama! Are you alright?" Knight Man asked.

"Yeah. I guess I should call Netto: I've found out another flaw but they'll have it fixed before they send another of those out… I'll be going to Japan ASAP: I think we'll need to gather sooner or later." Pride replied while looking around the wrecked yard.

"… Jasmine. You've got mail."

"From who?"

"Eh… The sender says "Sauron"…"

"Sauron…?"

Jasmine was working on something using medicinal herbs and reading a textbook: Meddy was projecting with the hologram and looked slightly nervous.

"What does it say?" Jasmine asked.

"Eh… "Some vandals are coming to contaminate this virgin land with their dirty and stinking feet. It would be wise of Sacred Maiden - sama to bring out the double-edged blade and cut their necks while drinking up their blood to evolve into Vampire Queen… That bothersome trio needs to be taught who they are fighting against once and for all. Yours truly, Universe King – sama."… What a silly message." Meddy grumbled after reading it: she looked annoyed.

"Yeah! Who does that person think I am? I don't cut people's necks with double-edged swords and I'm not "Sacred Maiden" – sama! I don't drink people's blood and I don't intend to become Vampire Queen. And this guy believes he is "Universe King – sama" and "Sauron" at the same time? Sauron was the King of Mordor!" Jasmine got a twitch near her right eye and looked about to explode.

"Jasmine. Patience. Calm." Cardamon warned as he stepped inside through the main gate.

"Ah! I'm sorry, grandfather… But…! It's a really insulting message! It's obvious I would get angry at it, wasn't it, grandfather?" Jasmine argued as she sighed.

"It is. But if you get angry, then they accomplish their goal of making you trek the dangerous road towards Evil." Cardamon warned in a serious tone of voice.

A loud crashing sound was heard outside of the mansion along with a buzz-like sound: footsteps could be heard walking over grass and towards the mansion.

"What's that? It sounds like it fell from above!" Jasmine gasped.

"I'm picking up a heat signature… Super energy core! It's not a human: it could be a machine or a "Copy Roid" then!" Meddy reported.

"No…! It must be one of those robots Netto told me about! It's come for us two! Quick, Meddy! Contact the "Dimensional Area Laboratory" and tell them about the situation!" Jasmine gasped.

"O. K.!"

Meddy departed from the Link PET and a "Dimensional Area" quickly formed around the zone.

"Grandfather! Please take cover."

"Understood… Be careful, Jasmine!"

Jasmine ran out while carrying her "Synchro Chip" and soon spotted the robot standing there.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Jasmine and Meddy fused sans a hitch and jumped in front of the robot to challenge it.

"Unit Thanatos – Three: acquiring targets. Targets ID: Jasmine and Meddy EXE. Orders: annihilate all targets."

"Meddy Capsule!"

"Battle Chip, Black Hole. Slot In."

The Black Hole swallowed the capsules up while "CF" Meddy jumped back some steps.

"Medical Attack!"

The two capsules drew patterns as they flew towards their target.

"Battle Chip, Dream Aura. Slot In."

The Dream Aura protected it from the attack's explosion and it quickly ignited the jetpack to fly skywards.

"Battle Chip, Boomerang. Slot In."

The robot shot the Boomerang towards "CF" Meddy.

"Battle Chip, Long Sword!"

She held the Boomerang at bay with the Long Sword but the robot suddenly showed up behind her while having a drawn a Long Blade Battle Chip.

"Ah! Battle Chip, Area Steal!"

"CF" Meddy warped just at the robot's Long Blade plunged across the empty space where she'd been at.

"Medic Bomb!"

The sphere glowed and attached to the robot's body: it frizzled and it flew back at "CF" Meddy.

"Battle Chip, Fumikomi Cross!"

She dashed forward and tried hitting the robot: it drew a Drill Arm and used it block before it attempted to plunge it towards her: she jumped out of the way and assumed a combat pose.

"Opponents are powerless. Powerless." The robot intoned.

"Che! I wonder about that! Battle Chip, Yo-yo!"

"Battle Chip, Fire Blade. Slot In."

"Gotcha! Battle Chip, Geyser!"

"Beep?"

The Geyser showed up and its waves hit the robot thus making it be dragged by them until it hit an old tree's body: the impact crushed the jetpack and it began to frizzle.

"Warning. Rear unit non-functional: usage is not possible."

"Battle Chip, Triple Bomb!"

"Battle Chip, Hi Cannon. Slot In."

The Hi Cannon's blast intercepted the Triple Bomb but "CF" Meddy was already running towards them.

"Battle Chip, Fire Punch!"

She jumped into it and punched the robot's "face": the outer faceplate was cracked thus revealing a mechanical face without nose but with two round eyes without iris or pupil and a speaker for mouth.

"Warning. Front face plate broken. Target proximity is dangerous. Initiate emergency system 111." The robot announced.

The robot's body was surrounded by electricity and it struck "CF" Meddy's body: she yelled and was pushed into the air by the robot's incredibly fast-moving arms: she met the ground in a blunt manner and rubbed her back from the force of the impact.

"Battle Chip, Salamander. Slot In."

The robot jumped into the air and dived towards "CF" Meddy.

"Battle Chip, Aka Tsunami Hole!"

A red geyser of water appeared out of the ground and made contact with the incoming Salamander: the heat vaporized the water but was enough to put the flames out: "CF" Meddy quickly ran away as the robot was forced to drop into the ground and land.

"Battle Chip, Yo-yo. Slot In."

The Yo-yo shot out and coiled around "CF" Meddy: she was tugged backwards at the origin.

"Kyah!"

She found an Elec Blade Battle Chip's blade very close to her neck.

"New orders: use electricity to slowly eliminate the target." The robot emotionlessly announced.

"I won't let ya! Battle Chip, Salamander!"

The intense heat began to melt part of the ceramic compound which made up the armor and the robot's eyes began to malfunction as well as its speaker.

"W… ning… d… ger… retr… eat… in… di… ate…!" It managed to announce between bursts of static.

The purple portal opened and the robot was sucked inside of it before it closed: "CF" Meddy sighed in relief and reverted out of "Cross Fusion" while picking the PET.

"Phew! Use the enemy's tactic to fool them… This piece of advice sure came in handy to finish it off! Guess we'll have to tell Netto: they might have us gather in Japan again." Jasmine wiped off her forehead's sweat drops.

"Yeah. And I'll see my _lovely_ Rock Man there… Tee, heh, heh." Meddy giggled.

"Meddy! Don't forget what grandfather said: jealousy and hatred only lead to self-destruction and death. We mustn't allow them to fool us and make us end up like that." Jasmine scolded.

"Sorry, Meddy. Anyway… Let's go talk with your grandfather, Jasmine. He must be worried." Meddy apologized.

"Yeah. Let's go."

Jasmine ran back inside of the house and found Cardamon walking towards her from one of the windows.

"That was a good battle, Jasmine. You taught that machine that, in the end, imagination wins over analysis." Cardamon congratulated her.

"Thank you, grandfather! I feel stronger by now. I'm sure I'll be able to help others when they're in a pinch!" Jasmine smiled.

"Let's finish up that medical recipe." Meddy suggested.

"Yeah. I need to finish it up: I'm learning a lot in this art as well."

"You'll be a good healer, Jasmine." Cardamon told her while sounding proud of it.

"… Well… They did a pretty well performance but we couldn't foresee anyone attempting to overload the nanomachines into self-destruction or melting up most of the armor."

"Yeah. We should be glad they did get to cause trouble. There are some customers who're interested into it, too."

"That is what I was aiming for all along."

The usual trio was overseeing the repairs of the two robots and Death sounded satisfied with the news.

"Yeah. We could always make an auction of the factory schematics online and the approximate cost of construction: but given how there would be a lot of people eager to buy these robots like PMCs or mercenaries, it would generate a huge amount of profits."

"Heh, heh, heh… We're too cunning for the "Net Saviors" to handle in the classical manner… A good villain _always_ has a backup plan."

"Indeed. My mark shall appear and those who have been granted it shall slowly feel their bodies lose heat until the icy claws of the eternal sleep close into their flesh and soul…" Death dramatically announced.

"T-the Grim Reaper shall plunge their souls into the _Naraku_… And you'll then enjoy slowly torturing them and turning them into the _Dark Side_ of the Force…" Hunter Man improvised.

"The one I really desire to slay is… Forte EXE… You lowlife shall be first: the others shall go next. Let the road to the _Naraku_ open: countless souls shall travel across it but shall never return… Hah, hah, hah…"


	28. Chapter 27: Fierce battle

**Chapter 27: Fierce battle**

10:37 AM (Japan Time), Wednesday December the 28th…

"… Ah."

Netto was sitting on the bench placed on the playground while looking around: he looked somewhat depressed.

"What's up, Netto – kun?" Saito asked.

"… You know what's up." Netto merely replied.

"You're worried about the fact that those two robots showed up in Cream Land and Choina to battle Pride and Jasmine?"

"Damn. It's always the same thing. I'm always putting my friends into danger! And I can't stop it from happening!" Netto cursed.

"Otouto! Please be rational: you're getting obsessed with the idea. Look there: they're doing this in purpose to provoke you and fool you into recklessly charging at them only to get killed!" Saito scolded.

"… True…! So that's why they did it…!"

"Cool it down, otouto: we need to act rationally. And if we all join forces, we can be like a hundred persons fighting at the same time! Remember our motto? We can achieve infinite power!" Saito told him.

"… Yeah. You're right, niisan. Together, we can achieve infinite power and defeat any adversary who gets in the way." Netto managed to smile and he looked up.

"See? That's your classical self. If you don't let them depress them then you can fight at your true potential."

"Charmed." A cold voice rang out with obvious sarcasm.

Netto felt a shiver go down his spin and he stood up to see Togakawa walk into the area: he'd taken off his sunglasses revealing those murderous-like red eyes.

"Togakawa!" He cursed.

"Hikari. Hmpf." He made a smug smile.

"Stealth Man…!" Saito hissed.

"Hmpf." Stealth Man made a smug smile as well.

"Today I can battle in the same terrain as you." Togakawa announced.

"Crap." Netto muttered.

"Dark Synchro Chip: Version 2!" Togakawa announced as he took it out of his jeans' right pocket.

"Version 2… Ivan and Sergei came up with it… It no longer corrupts the Navi, the Operator or forces the Navi into "Cross Fusion"… It just artificially increases the "Synchronism" ratio…" Saito grimly muttered.

"Craving your own grave, Rock Man? But the _Organization_ has a use for you so our orders are to capture you and your Operator alive. You should be grateful of it." Stealth Man grinned.

"Sgt. Sneaky ordered you to do this. The jerk…! I wanna beat the guy a thousand times by now." Netto guessed.

"Heh! Dimensional Converter: Activate!"

Four "Dimensional Converters" popped out around the playground's perimeter and formed a "Dimensional Area" around them: Togakawa's smug grin grew wider.

"Dark Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Both performed "Cross Fusion" sans a hitch: they assumed combat positions while standing five meters from each other.

"CF" Togakawa's design was similar to Stealth Man's normal design: he'd added some navy blue patterns across the knees and elbows and around the neck as well.

His helmet's forehead had the _kanji_ for "koroshiya" or "assassin" written on it using a purple color: overall, he gave off a sinister aura.

Some crimson red lines were drawn across his forearms and legs below the knees.

"Invisible Mode!" "CF" Togakawa announced.

"What!" "CF" Netto gasped.

The opponent turned invisible and "CF" Netto quickly began to step back until he found the edge of the "Dimensional Area" behind him. He began to scan using his "Cross Fusion" capabilities.

"I can't pick up their signature, otouto! But they must close by: I guess he's aiming to end the fight quickly!" Saito whispered.

"In that case… Battle Chip, Salamander!" "CF" Netto muttered.

The flames which formed around him hit something as evidenced by a yell of pain and some frizzling which revealed "CF" Togakawa's invisible shape barely one meter in front of him: "CF" Netto then shot skyward and quickly dived down to bathe the area in flames: the opponent was forced to stand back and recoil.

"Battle Chip, Thunder Ball!"

The Thunder Ball hit the target and electrocuted it: the camouflage slowly shattered like glass and revealed "CF" Togakawa.

"Battle Chip, Fumikomi Cross!"

"CF" Netto warped and aimed for his chest emblem: but "CF" Togakawa arched his body backwards and the sword plunged through empty air.

"What?"

The enemy then gripped it with both hands and pulled forward in an inclined angle: "CF" Netto was propelled forward and he hit the edge of the "Dimensional Area" in front: he slid down it and into his knees while rubbing his body.

"Crap. Battle Chip, Dream Aura!"

"Battle Chip, Golden Fist!"

"CF" Togakawa's Golden Fist broke through the Dream Aura but "CF" Netto then delivered a kick to the stomach area.

"Eat this!"

The blow momentarily left "CF" Togakawa sans breath and he was disconcerted for a second: "CF" Netto then tackled him with his right shoulder and pushed him into the ground.

"Battle Chip, Aqua Blade!"

"CF" Netto was about to plunge the Aqua Blade into the chest emblem when "CF" Togakawa suddenly recoved and planted both feet on "CF" Netto.

"What?" "CF" Netto gasped.

He used the legs to propel him forward and into the noth edge of the "Dimensional Area": "CF" Netto hit it and fell into the ground again while "CF" Togakawa jumped towards him as if he was a wild animal.

"Battle Chip, Tank Cannon!"

The close-quarters blast sent "CF" Togakawa flying but he could recover in mid-air and flip to land on a crouched position while stopping his skid move across the ground: he looked up and quickly drew a Yo-yo Battle Chip.

"Battle Chip, Yo-yo!"

"Battle Chip, Hell's Burner!"

The Hell's Burner burnt the Yo-yo and its string: but "CF" Togakawa was already on his feet and running towards "CF" Netto.

"Damn. Battle Chip, Ice Cannon Ball, Air Shoes! Double Slot In!"

"CF" Netto threw the Ice Cannon Ball at the ground before he used the Air Shoes to hover: the ground froze up and "CF" Togakawa slid across it until he met the east end of the "Dimensional Area" edge.

"Whack!"

He collided with it and the impact pushed him into the ground: he immediately stood up and got his bearings.

"Jet Vernier!"

He ignited his boots' jets and flew towards "CF" Netto.

"Battle Chip, Long Sword! Double Slot In!"

"Battle Chip, Curse Shield!"

The Long Sword hit the Curse Shield: it opened its arms and pushed "CF" Togakawa back before he recovered control: he looked around and didn't spot his target.

"I know what you're planning. Take this!"

He turned around and hit "CF" Netto: a _chibi_ doll showed up.

"What?" He gasped.

He suddenly felt how three _shuriken_ embedded on his back and he fell into the ground from their weight.

"Guh!"

He quickly took them out and looked around: "CF" Netto was standing at three meters from him and in the south-east corner of the area and was unhurt.

"Battle Chip, Super Vulcan!"

"Battle Chip, Shotgun!"

"CF" Togakawa let the Super Vulcan rounds hit him as he aimed the Shotgun's three lock marks and shot three blasts at "CF" Netto: they impacted and he was pushed back.

"Huh!"

"CF" Togakawa crouched to then jump across the air while heading for "CF" Netto.

"Ah! Battle Chip, Mega Cannon!"

The blast from the Mega Cannon hit "CF" Togakawa's upper torso but he was unaffected as he landed in front of "CF" Netto and quickly closed his right hand around his neck and drew a Long Blade Battle Chip.

"C-Charge Shot!"

The blast shot at close-quarters forced "CF" Togakawa to recoil but he looked like he wasn't feeling any pain at all.

"Weird. Rock Man! Can someone disable the pain receptors while in "Cross Fusion"?" "CF" Netto asked him.

"No. You can't. I guess he's been trained to bear with pain." Saito replied in a hushed tone.

"Groa~h!" "CF" Togakawa roared as he charged towards "CF" Netto.

"Shit. Battle Chip, Bug Bomb!"

The Bug Bomb met its target and "CF" Togakawa's body frizzled and seemed not to respond to his commands: he fell into his knees and was seemingly trying to get it to respond.

"Battle Chip, Wide Sword!" "CF" Netto announced.

He rushed towards "CF" Togakawa: he suddenly recovered and gripped "CF" Netto's chest emblem with his right hand: he began to try to pull it out and some parts of the Cross Fusion began to break up.

"D-damn! Let go, you…!" "CF" Netto cursed.

He kicked the forehead of "CF" Togakawa's helmet: it made that persistent echoing sound and "CF" Togakawa let go: "CF" Netto kicked him on the face and the force of it pushed him into the ground again.

"R-Recovery 100!"

He recovered energy and then aimed his Rock Buster towards "CF" Togakawa's chest emblem.

"Charge…!"

"Hah!"

"CF" Togakawa suddenly jumped into the air and appeared behind him: he gripped his shoulders by sliding his arms behind: "CF" Togakawa seemed to be about 10 cm higher than "CF" Netto given how his neck was at the same height of "CF" Netto's head.

"Ever heard of the living hell, Hikari? That's where you're headed to right away…" He announced.

"Shit. You people are an S&M club!" "CF" Netto cursed.

"Not exactly. We cooperate with one. But the _Organization_ is more than just that." "CF" Togakawa corrected.

"And you think I'll sit idle and let you lowlifes do whatever it suits you most, don't you?" A voice rang out with a hint of annoyance.

"Forte!" "CF" Netto gasped in relief.

Forte was standing behind them and looking rather annoyed: he'd opened his cloak and looked ready for battle.

"Who the…?" "CF" Togakawa cursed.

"Dark Arm Blade!"

Forte quickly warped in the space between the two of them and hit him.

"Guoah!"

The Dark Arm Blade had left a diagonal indentation on "CF" Togakawa's chest emblem and his "Cross Fusion" began to turn unstable.

"Eat this!"

Forte then kicked his upper torso and "CF" Togakawa let go of "CF" Netto out of instinct: Forte then plunged his Dark Arm Blade into the chest emblem and "CF" Togakawa groaned something as the "Cross Fusion" forcefully broke apart.

"Guwra~h!"

The reformed Link PET ejected the broken "Dark Synchro Chip" and Togakawa collapsed into his knees.

"Hruh! Grah…!"

The sound of police car sirens filled the air and Togakawa cursed as he picked the PET and stood up: he then looked at it and made a grimace.

"Your Navi isn't in shape to interact with the "Dimensional Converters" and I've set firewalls on them as well as a little surprise for any of your accomplices which may try to break inside of their Cyber Worlds." Forte announced.

The "Converters" suddenly detonated in a sequence thus abruptly ceasing the "Dimensional Area": "CF" Netto reverted out of "Cross Fusion" and calmly picked his Link PET.

"Shit." Togakawa hissed.

Two police cars parked on the playground's entrance and four policemen rushed there while Forte kept Togakawa in place by shooting Hell's Buster shots around him to stop him from trying to run away.

"Charge!" One of the policemen commanded.

Togakawa drew a gun but another policeman had already his drawn and shot it out of his hand: Forte stood in the way to ensure he couldn't pick it up while the other policemen reached him and quickly handcuffed him while placing his arms behind his body.

"Togakawa Emil! You're under arrest with the charges of attempted abduction, attempted "Net Savior" deletion, break – in with a gun and 11 murders! Take him away!" The lead policeman commanded.

The policemen forced Togakawa into a patrol car.

"Phew. We caught the guy." Netto sighed in relief.

"Yeah. It was close." Saito sighed in relief as well.

"I couldn't stand sitting idle anymore. I wanted to do something." F

"We need to heavily interrogate the guy. He's part of something bigger than we thought. This "Organization" thing seems to be part of a complot involving an S&M club." Saito warned.

"In short: Twilight's so-called "secret empire" guys… If he could see us, then he must be rejoicing at it." Forte growled.

"Yeah… Let's go back." Netto grumbled.

Forte dematerialized while Netto put on his skates and headed out of the playground: he failed to spot Sidier hidden behind some bushes: he looked somewhat amused.

"S&M… I read about it and watched some videos. It looks intense but it can shatter someone's mind if taken to extreme ends… They must want to turn them into mere merchandise… But that wouldn't do fine for Emperor S – sama's climax for this show. But given Forte's stubbornness, he'll most likely deal with it on his own. Heh, heh, heh…" He chuckled.

He suddenly felt hot and began to sweat: he frowned and tried to vent some air with his hands.

"… Weird… We're in December and I feel hot while being outside… And today they said temperatures would lower, too… I didn't bring anything to produce heat with me, did I?" He muttered.

He turned around and gasped: the _Eye of Mordor_ was hovering behind him and starting at him while projecting a message written in English into the air.

"… "What will you do?" … _Dousuru_? I don't know, whoever you're supposed to be… Don't you know it? Obihiro told me you believe your own hide to be Sauron, after all." Sidier grumbled as he tried to vent off the heat.

The Eye looked around and then focused its gaze on Sidier again while expanding: Sidier began to pant and looked like he couldn't concentrate because of the heat.

"W-what the… This heat…! But… If it really was this hot, then… the bush would be burning by now…!" He protested.

The Eye merely spun around and looked at all the eight directions before focusing forward again.

"Ah…! I can't…! I'm gonna…! My processor is slowing down…! We Navis aren't designed to work with a lot of heat… unless we're Flame Attribute Navis…!" Sidier cursed.

His sight began to cloud and he felt dizzy: he finally collapsed face down on the ground while having seemingly lost consciousness.

"… Sidier! Oi! Sidier! Answer me!"

Sidier slowly opened his eyes and tried to calibrate them as he spotted someone's face looming over him.

"Sidier! Wake up! It's an order!"

Sidier gasped and quickly sat up while saluting: Dark Ryuusei was sitting next to him and looking at him.

"Dark Ryuusei – sama!" He gasped.

"What the hell happened? I sent you out to scout and you didn't report for over 45 minutes! I got worried and picked your last coordinates. I come to the playground and find you unconscious." Dark Ryuusei questioned.

"Uh… Ah! The _Eye of Mordor_…! It began to heat up the atmosphere and my processor was affected by it…! It entered emergency shutdown mode and I don't remember anything else…" He reported.

"The _Eye of Mordor_ did? Did it give out any messages similar to the ones Obihiro and company were given out yesterday morning?" Dark Ryuusei questioned.

"No, sir… It only asked me "what will you do?" and it then began to heat up the atmosphere. Maybe it was testing to see how much heat I could endure even if I am an advanced Net Navi…"

"So it'd seem. Catch my hand. We're heading back." Dark Ryuusei sighed in relief before extending his right hand.

"Ah… Yes, sir. By your orders." Sidier confirmed.

Dark Ryuusei helped him stand up and they then entered a purple gateway with a grayish mass set inside of it: they vanished inside.

11:01 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh. Our little experiment was a success. Heat can knock out these Navis, too. Ah… I'm a genius! Or so I say myself…"

The Eye was floating inside of the old WWW base while making a monologue and sounding amused.

"Whatever… I won't let the "Net Saviors" see me yet: that'd be spoiling the big surprise! They'll hear about me. But they won't find me. Who'd want to come and search here, anyway? They must be thinking by the _cliché_: the villain always has a secret base filled with cool advanced tech which he uses to beat the good guys up! Heh, heh, heh!" The voice chuckled.

The Eye moved to another room and looked at the remains of the entrance: the lake outside had frozen up and the main entrance shaped like a skull was no more than a gigantic hole in the mountain.

"Who'd said that Pharaoh Man's explosion could do so much damage, anyway? The guy was the arrogant and prideful guy… He somehow managed to set the computer to automatically restart if someone tried to shut the system off from the Cyber World! But he lacked imagination: the satellite wouldn't have made it past the atmosphere: its components are very sensible to heat and can easily break under stress… Couldn't ya look it up somewhere?"

He brought up imagery displaying the "original" Pharaoh Man standing inside of his pyramid.

"… You damned fools! As the Absolute King… As the Ruler of the Godly Universe… I shall make the humans who oppose the King have their sins engraved on their bodies…" He proclaimed.

"You sure were fond of old-fashioned speech but it's no wonder seeing how you thought you were a Pharaoh's incarnation… Off you go."

The imagery faded and a sigh echoed.

"Anyway… That's all for today. Credits!"


	29. Chapter 28: The Organization

**Chapter 28: The Organization**

12:14 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday December the 28th…

"… So. Are you going to say something?"

"Who knows?"

Superintendent Manabe and Detective Misaki were interrogating Togakawa in one interrogation room: there was the one-way window from behind which Netto, Enzan and Commissioner Kifune looked on.

"Just that you know: nothing will save you from prison. And since you'll become of legal age four years from now, you may even get capital sentence." Misaki warned.

"Hmpf. And soldiers don't get it, too?" Togakawa scoffed.

"Soldiers are a different history." Misaki replied.

"Hmpf. I'm a soldier myself." Togakawa boasted.

"Do you think we can't tell the difference? Sgt. Sneaky is not really part of the Cuban army. He uses that title as a distraction. He's paramilitary just like Colombia's FARC." Misaki didn't seem to be impressed.

"Whatever."

"So? Is that "Organization" so fearful?" Misaki tried a different tactic.

"Yeah. We are. Getting Sgt. Sneaky out of the brig and fooling you guys with a hologram… Only the geniuses there would think of it. And they're veterans." Togakawa boasted.

"Hmmm… They must be your master's companions back when the Havana Bank robbery 10 years ago. Eyewitness described a group of ten persons and Sgt. Sneaky seemed to have the lead voice."

"Yeah. But we've grown thanks to our "recruiting" system… I'm not the only field agent: there are another nine. I just happen to be the very first field agent. They leave the big works up to me." Togakawa grinned.

"Hmmm… I guess it's only been around for a few years."

"Yeah. Five years. Our "recruiting" criteria are very strict when picking up newbie guys… If they don't have the stuff, then the living hell's envoys come and pick 'em up. No – one gets to see 'em again." Togakawa grinned.

"So? How did you find the _triumvirate_?" Manabe questioned.

"Che. I heard rumors about them. I thought they were looking for a way to get rid of Hikari but it turns out they told me I was bluffing. The phone number belonged to a Spanish number and the guy I located was named Obihiro… Some kind of guy genius from what I saw… There were some Navis there, too…" He shrugged.

"You never found out their exact emplacement?" Manabe questioned.

"No… The only time I got to see their underground refuge, Sidier merely confirmed it was somewhere in Spain but that country must have thousands of places like that." He shrugged again.

"So? What is the goal of the "Organization"?" Misaki questioned next.

"Goal? Who needs that stuff? We just go by Nebula's motto: spread terror and fear. That's all there's to it."

"And I guess you won't tell us the location. But I'm sure there must be some data in your PET."

"Do you think I'd been able to survive five years without being a total paranoid? I never keep anything on the PET and not even Stealth Man knows the exact place. And you won't get it out of me: you can't use force on me. And even if you did, I've been trained to resist pain." Togakawa made another smug smile.

"Of course we won't use force: we're civilian police, after all. But I guess your companions will make a move to save you like they did with Sgt. Sneaky."

"What time is it?" Togakawa suddenly asked.

"PM 12:29." Manabe announced by looking at her Link PET.

"Hmpf. Time." He grinned.

The lights went off without warning and all background machinery noises died down as well.

"A blackout…!" Kifune cursed.

"Quick! The flashlights…!" Enzan rallied.

"Roger!"

Both of them ignited their flashlights and looked around the room: there was nothing out of place: Misaki had also ignited his Link PET's flashlight and made sure that Togakawa was still there.

"This is Manabe. What happened?" Manabe asked someone over her Link PET.

"We do not know yet: we've sent some policemen to the basement to check it out. But it couldn't be from the Cyber World: the electrical system was designed to prevent Cyber World sabotage. Someone had to physically get there." A policeman reported.

"… Netto – kun! Please allow me to come out." Saito called out.

"Commissioner?" Netto asked for permission.

"Go ahead. I'll feel safer with Rock Man around, too." Kifune authorized.

Saito materialized and began to scan around: he suddenly gasped.

"… Six signatures are closing in. Three are about to enter this room while the other three are about to enter the interrogation room. They seem to have IR goggles and stealth camouflage." Saito reported.

"Damn. To think they've even dared to storm the Net Police HQ…!" Kifune cursed.

"Commissioner! Am I authorized to stop them?" Saito asked.

"You are. You count as a member of the Net Police acting in defense of the HQ. As long as you use just your physical strength, then there'll be no problem." Kifune told him.

"Coming!" Enzan whispered.

There were two simultaneous slamming sounds and the quick footsteps of several persons carrying gear on them.

"Now!"

Saito quickly ran ahead and tackled one of the persons into the ground before taking out a motorbike helmet which he threw and hit someone else with a loud sound: the hit person collapsed into the ground.

"One down."

The third one seemed to be looking around when Saito tackled it and pushed it to the ground.

"It's time to nap."

Misaki and Manabe were using the chairs to attack another two figures while the third one took out pincers to break the handcuffs' chains: Togakawa stood up and the figure handed him a gun and a scout knife which he attached to his belt.

"Damn. They'll run away!" Kifune cursed.

"I know! Netto – kun! Look into the PET's folders: there should be a program named "MCR"… Transfer it to Enzan's PET. Enzan: have Blues install it! It's a copy of my own "Copy Roid" program!" Saito instructed while smiling.

"Good!" Enzan smiled.

Netto quickly made the transfer and Blues installed it while the second team pulled out and could be heard heading over to the room they were inside of.

"Installation: completed!" Blues announced.

He suddenly materialized and drew his default weapon as he picked one of them hostage and Saito did the same with the second: Enzan and Netto picked the third: they picked off their weapons and put on their IR goggles to see.

"Over here, Falcon?" Someone asked.

"Yeah. That glass is one-way: there was someone watching me behind it and Team A got inside through here." Togakawa replied.

They ran inside but stopped upon spotting the situation: they grumbled under their breaths.

"How the tables have turned." Blues coolly announced.

"Can you really handle us? Go ahead. But your companions are on the middle, you know." Saito challenged.

"Shit. I'd forgotten Rock Man can do that." Togakawa growled.

The lights suddenly turned on and everyone took off the IR goggles since they were unnecessary.

"Damn." Togakawa hissed.

They didn't spot one of the men discreetly picking a grenade labeled "FLASHBANG" and let it fall into the ground while he stood still to not call the attention.

_Heh._

The grenade went off and everyone (except for the three men) was momentarily blinded and deafened by the grenade's detonation: there were several sounds and quick footsteps for approximately five seconds before everyone could recover from the detonation.

"Wha!"

The panorama had changed: the three hostages were gone along with Togakawa: Enzan was knocked out cold on the ground, Kifune was still covering his eyes with his right hand, and both Navis had been pushed into the ground but what was worst was that Netto was missing.

"No! Netto – kun!" Saito gasped.

He quickly stood up and run off while hearing some noises of guns shootings and another flash-bang detonation: he came into a hall with some policemen were standing while being incapacitated by the flash-bang grenade's effects.

"Where…?" Saito wondered.

He spotted an open door leading to the stairs and noise ringing out from the upper floors.

"The roof…!"

He ran up the stairs at a mad speed and spotted more policemen and staff knocked out by a flash-bang grenade: Saito finally reached the end of the stairs and saw the rooftop door open.

"Shit."

There was a black Hind model A helicopter parked there: its blades were already spinning: it had no pilot, so it was presumably piloted by a Navi.

"Ah!"

Saito gasped upon spotting Netto being dragged by Togakawa towards the chopper: he looked unconscious and had been handcuffed: Togakawa was pointing the sharp side of his scout knife at his neck.

"Wait!" Saito yelled.

The six men opened fire with sub-machineguns: Saito ignored those since they bounced off his Navi body and he aimed the Rock Buster at the spinning helix.

"Charge…!"

Camouflage Man suddenly materialized and kicked Saito on his lower jaw thus distracting him.

"Heh!"

The chopper began to lift off and Camouflage Man quickly took out a thin needle which he injected into Saito's neck: he suddenly lost consciousness and Camouflage Man grabbed him as they dematerialized.

"Success, Sgt. Sneaky! I got Rock Man." He reported.

One of the men, who had a red machinegun draw into the helmet's forehead, took it out to reveal Sgt. Sneaky.

"Heh. We of the _Organization _are geniuses." He grinned.

The chopper flew towards the south at the same time Enzan and Blues ran out.

"Netto!"

"Rock Man!"

Sgt. Sneaky threw another flash-bang grenade at the roof and blinded them during five seconds as the chopper quickly flew away.

"A black Hind can't hope to not call the attention… Let's call the JSDF air forces and have them intercept it!" Enzan rallied.

"Roger, Enzan – sama!"

"Netto… Hold on! I won't let them do as they like!" Enzan made a grimace.

"Saito…! I'll protect you no matter what!" Blues called out.

_Where the hell is this…?_

Netto felt consciousness returning in a slow and painful manner: he couldn't see anything.

_Damn...! I remember…! That sudden flash and bang… I noticed the guy Enzan and I were holding waking up and then something hit me on the back of my head… And I can guess where this is at…_

He tried to move but noticed that his wrists were tied together handcuffs and an extra chain connected them to something.

_Fuck._

He felt two wires tied around his ankles and pulling to force his legs to be spread open: he also noticed the S&M gear (the same Hikawa had used) set on his naked body.

_Shit. I knew it. _He inwardly cursed.

"It'd seem you're the sleepy type, Hikari." Togakawa's voice rang out with some sarcasm.

_Togakawa. The jerk… I'm sure he's a sadist._

"If you were wondering… This is how we test our "recruits": those who can hold on for two months pass. The others break down before that so we send them to the club to be useful. Another advantage of passing is handling new recruits and teaching them. But Sgt. Sneaky has made of me his personal _protégé_, so… I need to repay that. Do you see what I'm getting at?" Togakawa sounded amused.

_Damn. This guy lets Sgt. Sneaky tie him up and torture him to "repay" the "protection". He's a mix of sadist and masochist. This could be worse than what Oriol did to me and those illusions Obihiro uploaded into my mindset using the damned chip._

"Wouldn't you know, though? Camouflage Man managed to capture Rock Man as he tried to stop the chopper from lifting off. We found out how to materialize the guy and take off the Navi bodysuit. My. The guy has good looks. Sgt. Sneaky will be handling the guy as I handle you." He added with obvious evil to his voice.

_Damn! Getting violated by an adult…! It must be worse than having to deal with a guy your age or slightly above! Oriol didn't really have any experience: he just copied that from somewhere. But these guys must like to make us suffer and push us to our limit…!_

"Ah. How rude of me… 13:44 PM. How quickly things can change, don't you think so? Just one hour ago, you guys were interrogating me. And now you're here at our mercy." Togakawa announced.

_Shit. It's been an hour and they haven't found us despite knowing the kind of chopper these guys used… Maybe they used a decoy and switched helicopters, too… I dunno if this is underground or not… If it was on the surface, then… My nanomachines include a GPS tracer… I'm sure I told Enzan about it once or twice! He should remember it! They could use that to track my location!_

"Let's start by teaching you how that cock can be used like. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Today is gonna be a cool day, yeah… Heh, heh!" Togakawa announced.

Netto suddenly felt some small spheroids making their way inside of his cock through the urethra: he opened his eyes wide and tried to yell from the painful sensation.

_W-what the…! These things…! Actually reach…! This deep…!_

Togakawa stopped once they'd covered all the way inside: he suddenly began to pull out and push in at a constant and quick pace: Netto struggled against the bonds while convulsing.

_My cock…! You're going to destroy it like that…! Stop…! Anything else but that…! I'm gonna go crazy…! I'm gonna… come…! No…! Stop it…! I can't hold on…! _

He suddenly felt his liquid coming out and he arched his body backwards as he did: he collapsed and panted heavily.

_I can't… think properly… I'm thinking… in _Hiragana_… I can't remember the _Kanji_… I feel exhausted… Let it end…! I can't take in… anymore…! Enzan! Please…! Hurry…! I don't know if I can resist this…! Enzan…! I believe in you…!_

"Heh. I guess that even for a masochist like you this was too much. Well then… Let's see how your ass handles it." Togakawa chuckled.

_S-shit…! No more…!_

"Ah. But let's keep this thing hard and ready." Togakawa added.

He tied two or three layers of thin rope around his cock which got hard again and kept like that.

_Shit…! Stop! Let go of me!_

"Have you ever experienced two cocks inside of you? Let's test it out with this 5 cm toy." Togakawa teased.

He put it inside of Netto's insides and also forced his cock inside: Netto tried to shake free but was unable to: Togakawa began to pull in and out along with the vibrator: "CF" Netto felt how his cock was bulging and he suddenly released again.

_I'm… fading… this is… too much…! I can't think properly…! My body feels weird...! No…! I don't want more…! _

"Let's test this alternate method." Togakawa sounded evil.

He took his cock and the vibrator out but placed an ever bigger one into Netto's still forcefully widened insides: he also added that small string of spheres as well, thus filling up the whole space.

_My insides…! You're destroying them…! How could anyone survive _two months_ like this…? How could they…? How could this guy…? He was younger than me when they did this to him, even…!_

Netto then felt the spheroid being removed but the rest of the leather band kept being there: a metallic circle was keeping his mouth open and he was unable to close it.

_What…? _

He suddenly felt Togakawa's hands gripping his head and lifting it as he put his cock inside of Netto's mouth by having it enter by the hole: he began to set the pace.

_D-damn! This circle thing is to force you to take the cock in and… they stop you from trying to bite it!_

"Your cock looks bored, Hikari. And I'm sure you haven't felt those clothes pegs on your nipples. Let's place something else, then." Togakawa laughed aloud.

He increased his pace and released to overfill Netto's mouth with his white liquid: he replaced the spheroid and then climbed out of the bed for a moment: Netto then felt the clothes pegs on his nipples being removed but he placed metallic pincers in there instead.

_Grah! They feel worse than clothes pegs…!_

He then felt a straw being forced inside of his cock and arched his body backwards from the sensation.

_N-no! Don't put more things inside of my cock…!_

"Let's heat this up! Zap!" Togakawa announced.

An electrical current travelled across his body starting at the metallic pincers and Netto yelled in vain.

"That's enough." Togakawa muttered.

The current vanished and he felt how his heart was beating faster than usual while his lungs were trying to breathe normally: the vibrators on his insides turned his cock hard but the straw stopped him from being able to release.

_It's going to end here…? I'm going to lose my sanity here…? I could overcome the simulations Obihiro fed me… But I can't handle the real thing, after all…? Am… really weak…? That of the "infinite power"… was an illusion niisan and I built up…? _

"Darkness Overload!"

There was an explosion and something blew up: Togakawa gasped and Netto heard a loud thud of something hitting the ground aloud with another noise like a chair falling into the ground.

"Hikari! Hang in there!" Forte called out.

He removed the straw and Netto released several large and strong spurts which fell down all around his body: Forte quickly broke the wires and chains while he took out the vibrators, the spheroid, and finally, the blindfold: Netto's eyes looked like they lacked the usual consciousness to them and he seemed distant or hypnotized.

"Damn. You lowlife! What happened to him! Answer me!" Forte roared as he grabbed Togakawa by the neck with both hands: his eyes shone and voice displayed pure rage.

"W-weak…! Broke down…! Like the others…!" Togakawa uttered as he tried to breathe.

"You lowlife…!" Forte roared.

"Forte! Stop!" Enzan called out as he rushed inside.

Forte gasped and let go of Togakawa: he fell into the ground and was choking as he tried to breathe: Forte looked at his own hands and looked remorseful of what he'd done.

"Ijuuin…! I… I…!" He muttered.

"It's not too late! He's just lost consciousness." Enzan told him.

"Enzan – sama! I secured Saito. I had to resort to force to knock that individual out." Blues reported over the Link PET.

"Damn. It took me this long to remember about his nanomachines' GPS tracer… Luckily, this place was above ground." Enzan cursed.

Forte looked around and spotted an open suitcase with Netto's clothing tossed wildly inside of it.

"Enzan. Let's dress him back." Forte suggested.

"Yeah. The police is about to come." Enzan agreed on it.

Forte merely aimed his Hell's Buster at Togakawa while Enzan dressed Netto back and lifted him.

"Police! Nobody move!" One policeman commanded.

A SWAT team ran in and they handcuffed Togakawa to take him out of the room: Enzan and Forte walked out while carrying Netto: they met up with Blues, who was carrying Saito.

"Let's bring them home. A hospital may be a bad place, for once. It might inflict fear into them that what happened might force them to stay for a long time under psychological therapy." Enzan suggested.

"Yeah. I think the same thing, too." Blues sighed.

"The so-called "Organization" is over. But we've had to pay too high of a price, even." Forte muttered.

"Again…! First Barrel Tai – sa and Colonel, then the Colonel of "Beyondard" and now them…! This is going mad!" Blues cursed.

"Too mad. Too many pointless tragedies…"

14:49 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Hikari – hakase, sir… I…"

"Sshh. You did what you could."

Enzan was sitting on a chair next to Netto's bedroom bed along with Yuuichirou: Netto was sleeping on the bed while having his normal clothes on.

"I decided not to change them, sir, because the sensation of anyone touching him might trigger a violent response…" Enzan told him.

"You did well, Enzan – kun…" Yuuichirou sighed.

"I will not give out any excuses, but… It's my fault. I should've thought about the nanomachines' tracer earlier. Can you still forgive me, sir? If I had remembered earlier, then… This wouldn't have happened, sir." Enzan stood up and bowed while apologizing.

"No, Enzan – kun… Don't try to assume the guilt. You can't be blamed: when under stress, one may even forget his own birthday or age. What matters is that you remembered." Yuuichirou told him.

"But, sir…" Enzan argued.

"I know you're a very responsible person, Enzan – kun. But trying to blame yourself won't help. Please relax: you must look strong to relieve him when he wakes up."

"Thank you very much, sir…"

Netto suddenly began to move in a wild manner and made some punches and kicks while agitating his body: he looked in pain and was sweating as well.

"Sequels…" Enzan muttered.

"Netto. Netto." Yuuichirou called out.

Netto didn't seem to have heard him as he continued behaving like he was fighting with someone.

"… Ah."

Yuuichirou stood up and walked over to the bedroom door to look out at the stairs.

"Haruka! Is the curry ready?" He called out.

"… _Hai~_! It came out splendidly, as always. Oh? It'd seem you're rather hungry, Yuuichirou – san! Have a double ration!" Haruka replied.

"I want a double ration, too!"

Netto suddenly jumped out of the bed and ran downstairs: the lunch was served on the table and Haruka was setting the curry on the dishes.

"… Oh! Netto. You're hungry, too, eh?" Haruka giggled.

"Eh… Yeah. I just feel an urge to eat curry." Netto replied.

Yuuichirou blinked Enzan an eye: both walked downstairs and sat down around the table.

"Oh? Enzan! You came out of IPC for once! I always told you that office reeked like you spent days and nights on it!" Netto told him.

"Yeah. I should really listen to you more." Enzan smiled.

"Uh… Did I go to sleep late? I feel tired…" Saito yawned as he came down while followed by Blues.

"Whoa! Blues! Papa, did you…?" Netto asked.

"Yeah. I gave him a copy of the materialization program." Yuuichirou smiled at him.

Enzan discreetly frowned and seemed to be reflecting.

_Hikari – hakase aims to bring out Netto's "glutton" side by using curry as bait… Given Netto's tendency to place food at the top of his important things, his wish for a meal must've helped override his earlier memories for the time being… Saito's could be deleted and replaced by others: he shouldn't bother to check the logs, I think… I know denying reality isn't good but in this case… There was no other way around._

Saito sat down on one of the sofas while Blues sat at some distance from him: Saito then rummaged on a box under the tea table and took out a _shogi_ board.

"I've started to play _shogi _as of late because I find it intriguing: it makes you think a lot and try to be strategist, so it fills with my kind of personality somehow." Saito explained.

"Enzan – sama used to play it, too, but lost the habit some years ago, if memory serves." Blues brought up while thinking back.

"Heh, heh! Enzan! I know why you dropped it: you preferred raw numbers to just some pieces!" Netto grinned.

"Yeah. Couldn't be helped, anyway…" Enzan rolled his eyes and looked like he somehow missed it.

"Well then! _Itadakimasu_~!" Haruka rallied.

"Yahoo! _Itadakimasu_~!" Netto grinned.

He began to devour his curry while his parents and Enzan smiled: Saito was starting to play with Blues and didn't notice his smile of relief.

_Don't worry, Saito. We'll bury that memory. It won't happen again: I promise you. I'll protect you no matter what._

"Mama! This curry was delicious! Can I have seconds?" Netto asked while looking like he could devour three more dishes even.

"But of course. I prepared a lot, after all! Here you have, dear. But don't rush it up either!" Haruka replied with a smile.

"_Hai~_! _Itadakimasu~_!"

Enzan finished his curry and smiled as he looked at Netto.

_It's over, Netto. The nightmare is over._

"And there was a pun in my times… Roll the trolls." Yuuichirou joked.

"Hah, hah! That's a good joke, Papa! You gotta tell me some of them one of these days! Today I feel in a good mood! Heh, heh, heh!"


	30. Chapter 29: The Hate

**Chapter 29: The Hate**

09:58 AM (Japan Time), Thursday December the 29th…

"… Heh, heh heh. The bounty to catch this guy alive for that club is the biggest I've ever seen. This'll be easy!"

A man on his thirties walked down the streets of Akihara.

He had spiky green hair, a scar on his right cheek, and cold brown eyes.

He sported a black leather jacket, jeans and tall black boots.

He carried a large case with an "H" letter of a fluorescent color.

"Hmmm…"

He eyed the surroundings and spotted a house.

"That'll do."

He grinned and walked over there: he then rang the bell and a woman opened.

"Who might you be?" She asked.

"Gas inspector. Ma'am." He announced.

"Can I see your ID, please?" She asked.

"Indeed, ma'am. Just a minute, please."

The man rummaged his jacket's right pocket and took out a taser: he hit the woman with it and she was knocked out.

"No bad feelings, ma'am. I just need the 1st floor's windows." He muttered with some irony.

The man quickly dragged her inside and left her resting in a sofa.

"Have a nap."

He climbed upstairs into the first floor and spotted a window: he took out a PSG – 1 sniper rifle from the large case and put a clip on it before he aimed to a balcony across the street.

"… Ah… I slept perfectly. I didn't dream, even. I felt tired for some reason or another… Guess I made too much exercise running from there to there with the skates."

"Well… Exercise is good for the health, so…"

Netto was speaking with Saito as he cleansed the bedroom using a broom to take care of the dust: the balcony was wide open.

"Heh, heh, heh. I don't care if kids like disguising as Navis… If I catch double, then I'm going to be given a higher reward. I know the owners aren't there and breaking in will be easy. My car is parked close by as well…" The man muttered.

"… Huh? Mail…" Saito looked at the computer.

"From who?" Netto asked.

"It says "No. #1 Fan of Hikari Netto – sama: Urgent"." Saito announced while frowning.

"You know Bright Man's motto: _check it out_!" Netto grinned.

"Eh… "Rock Man – sama: it would be wise of your persona to shoot at the sniper occupying the bedroom of the front house. It is aiming to collect a bounty set by the resentful Cut Man Brothers. Yours honorably, a Kind Gentleman"… What the hell!" Saito cursed.

Netto gasped and quickly ducked: a curious bullet got embedded on the far wall and leaked some kind of fluid.

"Tranquilizer bullet…! Then the mail was no joke! Charge Shot!" Saito exclaimed.

The shot flew across the street and hit the sniper's rifle, making it fall off his hands.

"What! The kid is a real Net Navi?" He gasped.

Saito quickly jumped down from the balcony and ran up the stairs of the other house: he checked inside and spotted the unconscious owner: he gasped.

"In the bedroom, then…!" He muttered.

He ran upstairs and kicked the bedroom door open: he only spotted the rifle and its case: he ran towards the window and opened the blinder: Netto was looking towards there.

"Niisan! The guy must be hiding in another room: no – one came out from the front! And I doubt the guy running off sans his bloody weapon, anyway!" Netto called out.

Someone suddenly grabbed Saito from behind and aimed the sharp side of a stylized knife at his neck.

"Not so fast, kid! I'm gonna have my bounty!" The man exclaimed.

"Say bye to that bounty! Hra~h!"

Saito inclined his body forward and threw the mercenary towards the case in the ground: his impact kicked across the room and knocked him out: a paper card flew out and Saito picked it up.

"…"The Hate: Professional Sniper. Usual rate: 5500." … Damn the Cut Man Brothers! They still believe they are the good guys even after two years have passed!" He growled.

"Rock Man. Are you okay?" Someone asked.

Saito turned to see Miyabi standing there while having his _katana_ drawn and aiming it at the man.

"Ah! Miyabi… Yeah. We got a tip-off. The Cut Man Brothers put a bounty on us: they want to finish us off, it'd seem. They're rather resentful of that of two years ago."

"The Cut Man Brothers… I'd forgotten them. That was when I had my first and only encounter with Blues." Shadow Man recalled.

"I see. And this must be _The Hate_. I'd heard talks about the guy from that Marlongo lowlife. He looks like a punk come out of some hardcore music hall." Miyabi lifted the right eyebrow.

"We should call the police!" Netto called out.

"Yeah. I'll secure this one. Go back to your home." Miyabi told him while shrugging.

"Roger! Thank you, Miyabi." Saito smiled.

"Don't mind it: we're companions."

"Companions in the quest to destroy the One Ring…" Shadow Man joked with a hint of amusement.

"Very funny." Miyabi drily told him.

"… Hmmm… The army is marching… Hmmm…"

A loud military march began to ring out and someone fell from the bed into the ground all of a sudden.

"Whack!"

The military march soon died down and the person sat up on the ground while rubbing the back of its head.

"Man. When did I program that into the alarm clock? Guess I was half-asleep last time I set it up… Eh… Lights, lights…"

The person stood up and touched the surroundings with the hands before finding the switch: a small lamp set on a desk turned on and revealed Solo: he wore black pajamas and was barefoot.

"Fua~h…"

His white hair was as messy as always and he looked sleepy.

"Huh…"

The room was very similar to Sidier but it had a poster of the periodical table of elements as well as one of a rock band: there also was a bookcase with some books on it and a cupboard.

"Man. I overslept and this thing had to wake me up… What a lovely way to start the morning, really." He muttered.

He rummaged into the cupboard and picked some clothes.

"Let's see…"

He picked a reddish brown and green wool sweater, jeans, white socks and black leather boots which reached almost to the knee.

"Good."

He changed, folded his pajamas, and placed them under the cushion before picking up his black cloak and putting it over his clothes.

"All's set. Let's go say hi to the club." He muttered with a hint of amusement.

He exited his room and made his way to the throne room: Saruba was sitting on it and looking at a screen displaying a patrol car parked in front of the Hikari house: the man known as The Hate was being led onboard by two officers while Miyabi stood there and didn't seem to care about the insults shot at him.

"… Renegade! Traitor! Dog! Worm! Pawn! Fool! Idiot! Double-faced bastard!" The man roared.

The officers had him get onboard the car and then climbed into the front seats to leave as Miyabi then headed over to the Hikari house and rang the bell: the door was opened and he stepped in before it was closed from the inside.

"Who was that green-haired guy? He looked like he'd come out of a _rave_ party!" Solo grinned.

"It'd seem he's called The Hate. He tried to pick that bounty Nemenaya Mies posted on them time ago." Saruba didn't look amused.

"… Oh! True… Yesterday…"

"It'd seem they've recovered somehow. Maybe they used some kind of therapy. I should've acted earlier regarding that "Organization", but I dismissed them because I thought they were just a bunch of show-off paramilitary guys… Even if I say that I want them alive for the "show"… I just didn't want them to break down. At all. I never approved of people abusing others like that. It's just like what _that man_ did on us."

"Yeah…"

"I'd never wish for anyone to suffer something like that." Saruba sighed and sounded honest.

"… True. How did they know the guy was there, however?" Solo muttered before switching topics.

"I was wondering that, too. But I got a copy of an email from someone who claimed the Cut Man Brothers had set that bounty up. I guess the one behind it didn't want to bring out anything connected to yesterday so he came up with a plausible scapegoat. And something tells me that "someone" was the _Eye of Mordor_." Saruba exposed.

"Come to speak of it… Somari – chan told me the guy copied and stole Saito's backup data while freezing that patch of the Science Labs' Cyber World for some minutes. The Navi behind that avatar must be terribly powerful: not even we could do that." Solo seemingly recalled by frowning and bringing a hand to his chin.

"Ugh. Then I wouldn't want to have to face it." Saruba made a grimace and looked nervous.

"I wouldn't either." Somari admitted as she stepped in.

"Yeah… By the way… Is Sidier still sleeping or is he working on something on his room? I thought he was the early bird type…" Solo brought up.

"Dunno." Somari shrugged.

"Anyway… It'd seem that the Cut Man Brothers are still lingering around: the explosion of their own bomb wasn't enough to take them out. They've seemingly been keeping a low profile and trying to come up with countless plans to have payback on Hikari Saito. Their elder has a hard time dealing with them, from what it looks like." Saruba exposed while switching moods.

"Yeah. That trap of the fake Internet City was a funny one as well as those paper figures. They were very creative! But I'd never guessed Shadow Man liked being literal to his name…"

"Tee, heh, heh." Somari giggled.

"… And hiding in the _shadow_ of one of the Cut Man Brothers. It'd seem Blues has hawk eyes! He could spot him hiding there." Solo grinned.

"Tee, heh, heh. And then Saito's Heat Guts Style Change sent them flying away as well as deleting the fake Internet City. Style Change wasn't a bad ability, but it was too random. It was hard to depend on it the whole time, anyway. I'm not surprised the PET II ran out of flash memory and decided to overwrite it with "Cross Fusion". The "Soul Unison" took little space because the data was kept on those blank Chips." Somari added with a giggle.

"By the way… Somari – chan… Weren't you working on something regarding a hologram as of late?" Saruba asked.

"Oh. That… Eh… It's more or less complete. I'm just trying to think who I should scare with it… I know! Let's make it show up on the Cut Man Brothers' hideout: they'll be trembling in fear! Tee, heh, heh!" Somari admitted before making a suggestion.

"Let's allow Sidier to play the Duelist: he'll fit with the role." Solo added.

"… No, no and NO! That plan is stupid! How can you hope to take out Rock Man just by putting a bomb in every PET you find? There are BILLIONS of them! It'd take us FOREVER!"

"But… Jiiro – niichan…!"

The five Cut Man Brothers were going over another of their joint plans but Jiiro didn't like it at all.

"Saburo, Shiro, Goro and Rokuro! Can't you come up with something far more original? Can't you think of something deadlier?" Jiiro questioned them.

"Well…" Saburo scratched the back of his head.

"That's…" Shiro trailed off.

"Difficult…" Goro muttered.

"Very difficult!" Rokuro finished.

"You guys… You're still going over it?" Choro, the elder, asked them.

"Choro – sama knows it very well: we won't concede defeat until Rock Man is defeated! We must protect society from his evil!" Jiiro announced while making a dramatic pose.

"Sorry, but "Gospel" was the evil. We were the evil. Rock Man was just doing what he had to do: his duty." Choro replied.

"Choro – sama! Please don't side with that Demon!" Saburo exclaimed.

"He's gotta be the Demon King!" Shiro added.

"Yeah, yeah! There can't be any mistakes!" Goro yelled.

"That's why we'll take 'im down for the sake of the world!" Rokuro added.

"You guys! Are you blind and deaf? The Demon King was named Twilight and he's dead! There was a guy claiming to be the Demon Tribe Chief, but he had nothing to do with Rock Man!" Choro sounded exasperated.

"It's fine that they're being so energetic…" An amused and familiar voice rang out of nowhere.

"What were you saying, Saburo?" Jiiro asked.

"I didn't say anything: it was Shiro." Saburo replied.

"It was Goro." Shiro replied.

"It was Rokuro." Goro replied.

"It was Choro – sama!" Rokuro replied.

"No! Shadow Man – dono!" Choro announced.

"E~H?" They all gasped.

Shadow Man emerged from Choro's shadow while having his fingers in the _ninja_ pose.

"T-that guy is…!" Jiiro exclaimed.

"He hid behind Jiiro – niichan's shadow back then!" Saburo exclaimed.

"Shadow Man…?" Shiro frowned.

"Why didn't they call the guy _Ninja_ _Man_ to begin with?" Goro suggested.

"It'd reciprocal." Rokuro replied.

"Heh, heh, heh… Anyway… You lowlifes posted a bounty on Rock Man's head, didn't you?" Shadow Man questioned.

"A bounty…? Why didn't I think of that before? It'd been easy!" Jiiro sounded exasperated.

The other four slapped their foreheads in defeat while Choro sighed in defeat at their behavior.

"KUA~H!"

There was a sudden tremor and the "skies" turned purple: a golden spheroid with many patterns drawn into it descended from above the clouds and hovered over the ground while emitting a golden and bright light all around the Cyber World: it was so strong that it forced the Cut Man Brothers, Choro and Shadow Man to shield their eyes.

"… _Ra_ will gain its power from the gathering of 3 Sacrifices. However, God shall only obey the one who offers the ancient spell to the sky." A voice chanted.

The spheroid emitted more light and it began to open and move to reveal a gigantic bird-like golden-colored creature which had red eyes and a large mouth filled with teeth and looked about five or six meters tall.

Its mere presence was imposing and inflicted fear on everyone.

"W-what the hell is that?" Miyabi uttered.

"Do you expect me to know?" Shadow Man sarcastically replied.

The monster made a large shriek of power and some powerful wind began to sweep the area: it suddenly vanished and was nowhere to be seen.

"… God shall revive from the earth…" Someone chanted.

The monster showed up again: a streak of flames jumped out of the ground and then assumed the form of the monster while being surrounded by a white aura.

"The servant will devote its life to complete its resurrection rite… All enemies on the battlefield shall become corpses along with flames in just one moment…" The voice kept on chanting.

They saw a purplish fog forming over a large blue diamond set on the monster's head: a figure could be seen be standing there.

"One Turn Kill! God Blaze Cannon!" The figure commanded.

The monster's mouth opened and it shot some incandescent spheroids out which bombarded the ground but left no mark and no damage.

"They're holograms!" Shadow Man realized.

"Then who the hell is the figure riding atop the thing?" Miyabi questioned him.

"I don't know!" Shadow Man replied.

The monster vanished for the second time and they heard a chuckle.

"… In just one moment, God shall become a phoenix." The figure chanted aloud.

The Egyptian _Ankh_ symbol colored red formed and then the monster's wings showed up of where: the rest of it formed in an instant.

"What now?"

The monster spit out fire from its mouth and its whole body was covered by it until it assumed a large phoenix's shape.

"… The chosen Monsters shall sleep within the Land. God Phoenix!" The figure exclaimed.

The monster jumped into the air and dived towards the building: the Cut Man Brothers panicked and ran off as the hologram swept through it and flew skywards again before vanishing.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" The voice chuckled.

"If the show is over, then come out!" Shadow Man demanded.

"What bothersome foolish guys!" The voice exclaimed.

"Damn. I know that motto." Netto cursed.

Sidier suddenly appeared inside of the building while looking rather amused at the situation.

"What the hell was that monster?" Saito questioned.

"HMPF! It wasn't a "monster": it was a God! The Winged God Dragon of Ra!" Sidier exclaimed.

"Ra? Wasn't that the Sun God in the Egyptian mythology?" Netto frowned and seemed to be recalling.

"Somari – chan tasked this little project into me. As you can see, Ra is no joke… It can sweep armies and enemies in just mere instants! Heh, heh, heh… Well? Starting to feel the fear?" Sidier announced.

"Yikes! Who's that?" Jiiro wondered.

"Ah. The Cut Man Brothers! I've heard about the exploits of you guys: rather funny." Sidier told them.

"…"Funny"! They were clever!" Jiiro protested.

"Yeah! We're clever!" Saburo exclaimed.

"They were cleverer than Mr. Universe, even!" Shiro added.

"Hah! Take that!" Goro laughed.

"We're invincible!" Rokuro boasted.

"You guys…" Choro sighed in defeat.

"Rock Man! We heard you! Come out and fight us like a man!" Jiiro challenged.

"There's no reason to battle." Saito replied.

"Yeah. Like the guy said… You're just comic relief guys. You're totally harmless." Shadow Man told them.

"Why, you…!" The five of them growled.

"My, my… It'd seem there's some ruckus over here. I better call the cleansing brigade to clean it up." Sidier joked.

"Why, you…!" The five of them yelled at Sidier.

"You guys… When will you stop?" Choro grumbled.

"Take that! Cut Boomerang!"

The gigantic scissor flew towards Sidier: he looked amused and drew his sword to swipe it vertically from the ground to the sky and it bounced the scissors back at the Cut Man Brothers: it impacted against them and sent them flying across the room and crashing into the ground.

"Your attacks are weak." Sidier announced.

"Why, you…!" The five of them roared.

"The _Sengoku_ has begun." Shadow Man announced.

"Guess so…" Miyabi muttered.

"Heh, heh, heh." Sidier chuckled.

The air suddenly seemed to distort like when in a very hot day and everyone began to sweat: the _Eye of Mordor_ showed up there and began to look around.

"You lowlife!" Sidier growled.

"What's that? The _Eye of Mordor_…? The thing from the Peter Jackson movie trilogy… What's it doing there, anyway?" Netto asked.

"Papa told me about it: it's an avatar for a Navi who got into the Science Labs, was able to freeze a patch of it and then copy and steal my backup data!" Saito exclaimed.

"You mean "freeze" as in processor freezing?" Netto guessed.

"Yeah! Laser Man – san tried to stop the guy but he got frozen, too. Whoever the guy is, he's a different party altogether and seems to have his own goals." Saito added.

"Who the hell are ya?" The Cut Man Brothers questioned.

The Eye looked at them and projected a message written in English into the air.

"Huh… "I am Sauron." … _Ware wa Sauron_…" Saito translated.

"Yikes! Sauron…! The Master of the One Ring…!" Jiiro gasped.

"…"Feel the fear"… _Kyofu wo kanjiru_…" Shadow Man read.

"You lowlife…! Don't try to pull the same trick on me twice!" Sidier growled as he aimed his sword at it.

"…"Who knows?"… _Saa na_…_?_" Miyabi muttered.

"This heat is starting to get into me. I guess the guy must've knocked Sidier out by using simulated heat and that's why he's pissed off at his presence…" Shadow Man muttered.

"Surprise Choppi'n!" The five of them announced.

They ran towards the Eye: it suddenly "emptied" (or, rather, lost its front cover) to reveal a VPN tunnel: white light could be seen emanating from its depths and quickly expanding out of the tunnel.

"This is bad." Shadow Man muttered.

"Shit." Sidier growled.

Both jumped out of the building as a white-colored energy shockwave swept the building and it became gray: all movement inside of the building stopped and seemed to be frozen in time.

"W-whoa!" The twins gasped.

The Eye, having put on the "cover" again, calmly flew out of the building and vanished from the area: the building slowly regained its color and they heard the sound of a collision.

"You guys! You crashed with me!" Jiiro cursed.

"Ouch…!" The other four uttered.

"What in the…!" Choro gasped.

"Che. So that "Eye" can become a VPN tunnel… I better report this. And I'll deal with you guys later on." Sidier grumbled.

He swung his sword and vanished in that mysterious manner of leaving diamond figures floating in the air before they dispersed.

"The _Eye of Mordor_… Who controls it?" Netto wondered.

"One thing is clear enough, otouto: the guy is extremely powerful." Saito muttered.

"Shadow Man. What do you think?" Miyabi asked.

"It looked nothing short of a Demon God." Shadow Man admitted.

"Anyway… Plug Out."

"Is this guy an enemy or an ally? I guess it's too early to say." Netto muttered.

"Yeah. I get that same vibe, too, otouto." Saito admitted.

"It was looking for stray souls to eat up."

"You and your stray souls… I'm fed up with that."

"Then Tomahawk Man will summon Totem – sama and have it create a Holy Panel Area." Shadow Man amusedly replied.

"Hah, hah. How original of you, Shadow Man."

"That dryness of yours amuses me, Miyabi…"

"I know. End of the tale. Let's move out to report."

"That guy… What does he want and why doesn't he show his hide around to begin with? I don't think we know them." Netto frowned.

"Dunno. But I think he's up to something _bad_…"


	31. Chapter 30: Original Ideas

**Chapter 30: Original ideas**

17:47 PM (Japan Time), Thursday December the 29th…

"… Meiru – chan, Miyabi, Charlie, Tesla… Enzan, Laika, Dingo… You all got the same message?"

"Yeah. "Something important is gonna happen at Meiji Boulevard: get there on the double."…"

Netto was speaking with Enzan as he looked around the right side of the boulevard: Airstar and Tesla were talking about something, Meiru had a dull look to her, Dingo was discussing with Tomahawk Man, Laika was also takng part in the conversation and Miyabi was looking around like he didn't trust the atmosphere.

"And the name "Osiris" of the sender… Osiris was another of the Gods in Egyptian mythology. Given what Miyabi told us about Sidier's show this morning, I'm sure he's behind it." Enzan guessed.

"But he can't hope to take eight opponents at the same time… Maybe he's going to present us with some of his "original ideas"…" Laika muttered before looking annoyed.

"… No, Tesla! I insist!"

"Hah! I knew it! You have perfume phobia!"

"But your perfumes reek of industrial products!"

"Why, you…!"

Tesla and Airstar were having another of their discussions over silly things and everyone looked unimpressed.

"Come on, Tomahawk Man! Tell Maha to give me my tomahawk back already!" Dingo pleaded.

"No! It's a danger for everyone! What part of "danger" you don't understand, Dingo?" Tomahawk Man growled.

"It's not a danger: it's my life!" Dingo dramatized.

"Well. I'll admit that it came useful to make canoes, but… You needn't bring it unless you know you're going to the forest." Meiru dully told him while looking unimpressed.

"Yeah! Tomahawk Man is right!" Roll added.

"Man." Gyro Man sighed.

"This is a calamity." Magnet Man grimly muttered.

"And I'm behind it." Shadow Man announced.

"Oh. Quit it already." Miyabi grumbled.

"So… That _Eye of Mordor_ thing hides a VPN tunnel leading to the spot the Navi is at?" Search Man asked Saito.

"Yeah. But I'm sure the guy can speak or write Japanese perfectly: the only reason he writes in English is to test our intelligence, I guess." Saito replied while folding his arms: he sighed.

"Hmpf. Let them come out: we'll teach them not to mess with the "Net Saviors"..." Blues looked unimpressed.

They suddenly heard sarcastic clapping ringing out and they looked atop a nearby building: the holograms of Ox Fire DS, Phantom Black DS, Acid Ace DS and Grave Joker DS were standing there.

"The Tribe Chiefs…!" Enzan gasped.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Laika grimly muttered.

"Hah! Carnival won't happen for another two months, you impatient _otaku_ men!" Tesla boasted.

"Tesla! Those are Net Navis!" Charlie scolded.

"Hmpf. Envoys of the Dark World…" Miyabi muttered.

"And they surely have an ace up their sleeves." Meiru guessed.

"See, Tomahawk Man! If I had my tomahawk here, I could attack them here and now!" Dingo exclaimed.

"No… They're holograms! They're not real! They're 3D images! You can't attack them!" Tomahawk Man growled.

"What do you want, you guys?" Netto demanded.

"We all have been working on some "original ideas"… Will you care to play around with them?" Ox Fire DS chuckled.

"We are afraid that you underestimate our Tribes' potential. We came up with these. Emperor S gallantly told us to act by our wills. He shall be mere public tonight." Phantom Black DS gallantly announced.

"You guys look like you could have a thrill." Acid Ace DS grinned at them and cocked his gun.

"Be careful or you might end up splattered by 'em." Grave Joker DS told them with a grin.

"Hmpf. Gloating." Blues scoffed.

"Nothing will hold us back." Search Man announced.

"Ah. I wanted a good fight." Gyro Man smiled.

"Yeah. I was itchin' for it, too." Magnet Man admitted.

"Let their foul creations be slain." Shadow Man chuckled.

"Hmpf! No monsters will scare us." Roll told them.

"Yeah. Bring it on." Saito challenged.

"Come!" The four of them announced.

Data flowed out of three large purple portals and began to assemble while drawing gigantic shapes and they all gasped.

"Whoa!"

One of them was a large incandescent boulder with cracks and filled with magma: it had four thin legs emerging from its body and one blue/yellow eye set on the forehead as well as mouth without tooth.

"What a freak!"

The thing roared and a holographic screen popped out.

"Great Rock of Incandescent Flames: Bera Daama"

The second one was a golden-colored Hindu-like statue made of steel: it had six arms and a central spheroid body.

Its head had a face which didn't display emotions.

The center of the spheroid had a purple mass with a red sphere set on the middle of it mass.

All of the arms' joints (wrists, elbows and shoulders) were connected by the same purple mass.

The thing was set on a golden pedestal and two of the arms held double-sided curved daggers on them.

The monster emitted a metallic sound and its name appeared.

"Demon-Possessed Divine Container: Da Iruooma"

The last was a gigantic whale-like monster with a beard and red eyes: some reddish tentacles with a blue eye at their end came out of some holes on its body: its shadow was eclipsing was little light there was a left at this hour.

"Great Sky Spirit: Narisha"

Suddenly, a thing came out of a hole above Narisha: it looked like a worm with a large blue eye and mouth.

Two wing-like extensions opened at both sides of it: they were colored yellow with some greenish oval-like dots painted on them.

Four thin cylinders served to segment them and action them.

It uttered some noise and its name came out, too-

"Gigantic Eye Parasitic Species: Parasu Parasu"

"A flying whale…! My prediction came to be ture, then!" Tesla gasped as he stepped back.

"You won't be able to say we haven't worked enough on them! Well then… Slowly… And carefully… Play with our beloved Monsters…" Ox Fire DS told them.

"Heh, heh, heh. Let the drama begin." Phantom Black DS added.

"_It's show time_!" Acid Ace DS exclaimed in English.

"Have at you guys!" Grave Joker DS added.

Their holograms vanished and the eight of them had to step back since the monsters looked ready to attack them at any moment: they were moving forward and making sounds.

"Meijin – san…! Please deploy a "Dimensional Area"!"

"By all the…! What monsters! Ah! _San wa iranai_! Dimensional Area: Activate!" Meijin gasped.

The "Dimensional Area" formed and everyone took out their Synchro Chips and Link PETs.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

The eight of them performed "Cross Fusion" and faced the three monsters: they roared and looked ready for battle.

"Okay! Netto, Laika! We're gonna deal with the statue thing. Sakurai, Dingo! You two deal with the rock thing. Charlie, Magnets! I guess you want to pick the whale and the parasite thing." "CF" Blues instructed to all of them.

"Roger!"

"Super Vulcan!"

"Freeze Bullet!"

"Sonic Boom!"

The three attacks headed for Bera Daama but it ignited the flames on its body and compacted into a round spheroid: the attacks bounced off it and it rolled down the avenue towards them.

"Damn! Battle Chip, Triple Bomb!" "CF" Netto cursed.

He threw the Triple Bomb at it and the explosion stopped the thing.

"Good!"

The monster assumed its normal form and began to shoot out spheroids of fire which left craters and flames upon impact.

"Gruo~h!"

They then began to suck air it like it was a vacuum cleaner: its force began to pull the three "Net Saviors" in who were trying to run away from that.

"W-whoa! Ice Cannon Ball!"

"Scope Gun!"

"Count Bomb!"

The three new attacks got inside of the monster and caused some explosions which momentarily stunned it and turned off its flames as it collapsed on the ground.

"The eye…! That's gotta be the weak point! Long Sword!"

"Long Blade!"

"Samurai Sword!"

The three of them began to slash and cut at the eye, which shook with every hit it took on: the flames on the monster suddenly ignited again and it resumed its earlier position.

"Shit. They're though." "CF" Netto cursed.

"Like an RPG game… Go over the same strategy over and over again until the enemy is dead…" "CF" Blues muttered.

"Che." "CF" Laika cursed.

"… Tomahawk Rolling!"

"Roll Arrow!"

"Shuriken Needles!"

Both attacks bounced off as Da Iruooma was using two hands to protect the core-like spheroid: the other four arms were swinging around the air and using the blades to strike back: one hit "CF" Dingo and kicked him towards a street light, deforming it from the violence.

"Shit." He growled.

"Che! Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!" "CF" Roll announced.

"Program Advance! Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword! Dream Sword!" "CF" Miyabi announced next.

They shot and they met the target: the arms detached and the monster was forced to use the remaining right arm to attack thus leaving the core unprotected and open to attack.

"Tomahawk Swing!"

"Wide Blade!"

"Shadow Clone!"

The attacks delivered damage to the monster before it summoned the two arms back in place and attacked with them.

"Huh!"

Both attacked the joints of and made four of the arms fall down: they attack the core again and the monster stopped.

"Did that do it?" "CF" Dingo wondered.

Cage-like iron bars closed the circle to protect the core as the monster used two hands to lean on the ground and push upwards: it revealed its legs and then placed all arms behind it to then take out six large slightly curved swords.

"Crap. This thing can walk, too…!" "CF" Roll cursed.

"Huh! Battle Chip, Super Vulcan!" "CF" Dingo growled.

"Evil Source!" "CF" Miyabi announced.

The attacks bounced off and both were hit by the blades which swung left and right in a simultaneous manner.

"Damn. Tomahawk Rolling!"

"Wide Blade!"

"Shadow Blade!"

Both attack made one arm fall off and the blade it was holding emitted a brief flash.

"Huh? AH!"

"CF" Dingo picked it with both hands and began to swing it: it cut the other arms off as the other two picked one each: they hit the protection of the core and shattered it as they began to hit the core.

"Take these!"

The monster then kicked them away and the arms reassembled again.

"Shit."

"… Mag Ball!"

"Tornado Arm!"

"CF" Tesla and "CF" Airstar were facing off against the tentacles emerging from Narisha's body: They quickly bested them and landed on top of it to confront Parasu Parasu.

"Krie~h!"

The parasite shrieked and shot spheres of acid at them which could corrode their "Cross Fusion" bodies upon impact, even: both stayed away and tried to deal with the thing.

"Try hitting the wing things by bouncing off its acids, Tesla!"

"Yeah! Mag Ball!"

"Tornado Arm!"

Both of their tactics made two acid balls hit the "wings" of the monster and it lost balance, collapsing on the "ground": both relentlessly attacked it before it stood up again.

"Okay! Let's keep on like this!" "CF" Airstar exclaimed.

"Yeah! No holograms are gonna laugh at me!" "CF" Tesla announced.

"… Geyser!"

"Freeze Bullet!"

"Aqua Sword!"

The three water impacts were swallowed up by Bera Daama when it was sucking in air.

"Gruo~rgh!"

They evaporated all flames inside of its body and it collapsed into the ground: the three of them quickly attacked the eye and it soon emitted a loud and piercing shriek before turning black and exploding in a large explosion which pushed the three of them across the avenue until they collided with a building's entrance columns.

"Grah… We… did it…!" "CF" Netto hissed.

"Y-yeah… Somehow…!" "CF" Blues muttered.

"What a monster!" "CF" Laika cursed.

"… Zeta Cannon!"

"Giga Cannon!"

"Zeta Fumikomi!"

The three attacks hit the core of Da Iruooma and it stopped while making some strange noises and slowly extending its neck: the purple mass suddenly detonated and only the main components of the thing remained scattered around the area.

"Whack!"

Some of them hit the three "Cross Fusion" fighters and pushed them back: they panted and looked how the pieces of the monster were deleted and vanished.

"Hah… Hah… Take that, you… men's toilet… curse monster…" "CF" Roll muttered.

"Huh… Shadow Man is obsessed with the _Naraku_ and this girl over here is obsessed with a men's toilet curse…" "CF" Miyabi muttered.

"What a club!" "CF" Dingo groaned.

"… Yo-yo Blade!"

"Mag Missile, Mag Missile, Mag Missile…!"

The two attacks hit Parasu Parasu's gigantic eye and it shrieked before exploding into a thousand bits.

"Jump!"

Narisha growled and began to slowly delete: soon nothing remained of him and both of them had to land in a nearby rooftop out of exhaust.

"What an afternoon!" "CF" Tesla cursed.

"Yeah…! What a day…!" "CF" Airstar cursed.

"At least we're still alive." Magnet Man muttered.

"Yeah. Guess we should be glad of it." Gyro Man sighed.

"… The actions of tonight seem to indicate that we're rushing towards an upcoming "climax"…"

"I see."

The three Net Saviors were reporting to Commissioner Kifune about what had taken place: Kifune looked concerned.

"The party or parties operating behind that _Eye of Mordor_ avatar are yet to be identified, yet… They don't seem to be in anyone's side."

"True."

"Its behavior suggests a wish to be an overseer detached from the conflict. Maybe they plan on taking profit of whoever ends up standing at the end of it." Laika exposed.

"That's a very likely possibility… Kanou Shade also had that behavior yet he sought to oppose Twilight… And he then ended up becoming our enemy as well. The "Eye" may have a similar behavior as well, for all we know…" Kifune muttered.

"Che. It's always the same thing: one group goes down another comes up to take their spot… Is there no end to it?" Netto grumbled.

"Sadly, that's how History has been shaped like. Nations rose, reached a climax and then fell into decadency." Enzan told him.

"Yeah. In short: the _triumvirate_ must be at their peak by now but it's about to collapse and will most likely forced to cool off for a while before being able to come up with something new and original." Saito sighed and shrugged.

"I believe we are close to an important breakthrough." Search Man commented.

"I get that same feeling, too." Blues admitted.

The group stood silent as Commissioner Kifune stood up and walked over to the windows to look at the growing evening: snow was starting to fall but it didn't look like a sign of peace.

"This snow just makes me think it's a sign." Netto muttered.

"Who knows?" Enzan sighed.

"Maybe something will happen by tomorrow." Laika suggested.

"The climax…" Rock Man trailed off.

"Is it coming?" Blues wondered.

"Tomorrow… We'll know. For certain."


	32. Chapter 31: Road to climax

**Chapter 31: Road to climax**

16:14 PM (Japan Time), Friday December the 30th…

"… Man. I still feel tired even after a good night's dreamless rest."

"Yeah. Those monsters were no joke."

Netto and Saito were talking while they eyed the snow falling down into the streets.

"… It's almost like on that fateful day over one year ago… After the "Zoanoroids" failed their attack on the decoy placed at the Net Police HQ, Iris showed up on the Firewall Laboratory. That was when we finally realized what "Beyondard" was and why both parties were obsessed with getting their hands on Trill… But then "Zoan" Dark Man used his device to open a "Fossa Ambience" and we sucked inside… Our adventure in Beyondard began and stretched for roughly 10 days." Netto muttered as if remembering.

"Thanks to the Time Space Device which was developed by "Golden Star", we've been able to regularly go visit "Beyondard" again: it's slowly recovering but it'll take many years for the scars of their long war to fade out… But Trill is trying to help in any manner and is keeping his promise of trying to be as strong as us…" Saito smiled.

"Yeah. Anyway… Looking back on it, though… It's not like I'm tend to dreaming a lot, but… Two dreamless nights in a row… That's a first, or so it'd seem…" Netto frowned.

"Maybe you're overreacting." Saito shrugged.

"Yeah. I'm overreacting. Anyway… Tomorrow will be the last day of this key 2006 year! I guess we'll get a break until after New Year's. I think Yamikawa is still human enough to respect those days and not some despot."

"I'm sure of it. Besides… We already had a very nice Christmas. I really appreciated that drawing you made for me of me and _Buruusu_ dressed like we were going to marry." Saito smiled.

"Heh, heh! Niisan also came up with a nice surprise: a brand-new Battle Chip which Papa helped you produce: Counter Shield!" Netto grinned.

"Oh! True, true… Netto – kun. There's a surprise in the closet." Saito suddenly announced.

"A surprise…?" Netto looked curious.

He entered the closet and looked inside of it: there was nothing out of the usual: he frowned but then noticed Saito closing his arms around Netto's waist and began to tickle his stomach area.

"Ah! It tickles, it tickles! Stop it, niisan! I can't stop laughing!" Netto began to laugh.

Saito carefully lifted him and then sat Netto on the bed while Saito sat on his legs: he used his fingers to tickle him and Netto kept on laughing.

"Stop it, I say!" Netto laughed.

"Sorry. But Enzan wanted me to find out if you're sensitive to this stuff or not: I guess you are. Otouto." Saito told him with a grin.

"Enzan…! I'm gonna tickle you back!"

"… Snow… Just almost like back then… We managed to complete our adventure in "Beyondard" just two days before Christsmas of that year and we then could rest before trouble was brought by the "Professor" around early January."

"True, Enzan – sama."

Enzan was overseeing the snow falling outside of the IPC building while thinking back aloud: Blues was standing in materialized form close by and saluting.

"But I'm glad you can be here as well, Blues. Netto's idea turned out to be a good one, after all." Enzan smiled at him.

"Eh… Thank you very much, Enzan – sama." Blues saluted.

"However… I feel like we're close to some kind of breakthrough."

"… Laika – sama. I have completed the analysis: no data was left of any VPN tunnels on the site. The "Eye" has had ample time to erase any remains of it."

"I should've thought it was obvious…"

Laika was sitting on a chair next to a desk in the Net Police HQ building while looking tired.

"I've felt like my hypothesis was true and we were close to seizing an important lead to the _triumvirate_, but… We're stuck." Laika sighed in defeat.

"Laika – sama…"

"I know: I won't give up so fast."

"What should I do?" Search Man asked.

"Try to pick off any rumors or deals happening near the Reverse Cyber World." Laika commanded.

"Roger."

Laika stretched on his chair and then began to chew some gum while he awaited further news.

_I can't shake the idea off my head. I'll get a clue somewhere no matter what: this conflict _has _to end._

"… Hmmm…"

"So?"

"Hmmm…"

"So?"

"Can't you do something else? I'm meditating."

Miyabi was sitting beneath a small waterfall and letting its water soak his body while he kept his eyes closed: Shadow Man was projecting from the PET which was set on a nearby boulder and looked impatient, for once.

"I thought we were in a rush." Shadow Man commented.

"We can't know at all if the breakthrough will come today or in a week's time." Miyabi insisted.

"I get the message. I'll go shoot bounties down." Shadow Man announced while nodding in understanding.

"Do as you like."

"… Charlie~!"

"What…?"

"You've been going out with someone else!"

"Not again…"

Airstar looked exasperated at seeing how Tesla was accusing him of something out of randomness.

"So? Where's your evidence?"

"I don't need it: my instincts are enough!" Tesla shot back.

"No court will mind you out sans evidence."

"I don't need any court!" Tesla growled.

"Tesla! Stop that already!" Gauss ran in.

"But, Father…!" Tesla argued.

"Paranoia will destroy everyone around you, Tesla! That won't do! Calm down and think rationally! You're overreacting!" Gauss scolded.

"Che!" Tesla grumbled as she sat down on the sofa.

"See?"

"I don't think she "sees" at all, Charlie." Gyro Man warned.

"Tesla – sama has a difficult personality." Magnet Man muttered.

Tesla played the offended while Airstar sighed in defeat.

16:29 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Well… It'd seem the animals look fine, Mr. Director."

"They do! It's thank to your help, Jasmine – san."

"True."

Jasmine was taking care of the lion Umonosuke at the Animal Farm while the director was accompanying her.

"Umonosuke looks like he's healed a lot in over a year's time. That's good to see." Meddy commented.

"Yeah. He'll soon be a good boy again." Jasmine smiled.

"… Shah, shah, shah! There was nothin' strange: I met Shadow Man who was taking down bounties."

"Hmm… I see. Well! If we can take bounties down, then we won't have to worry much, I'd say."

Yuriko was sitting on her usual bench inside of the public park and speaking to Needle Man.

"Shah, shah, shah! By the way… What are we gonna do if we find those guys' hideout?" Needle Man asked.

"We'll gather the whole team: even three of them can't hope to deal with thirteen at the same time. But I'm sure they'll have some robots ready to watch over them."

"Che. It'll be hard." Needle Man muttered.

"Yeah. They won't make it easy at all." Yuriko agreed on it.

"… So, Knight Man?"

"Unfortunately… There is nothing new to report."

Pride was looking out at the snowy panorama from inside the embassy building: she had a concerned look to her when Knight Man reported back the results of his sortie.

"I see… I just think that this snow is a sign of something which is going to happen." She muttered.

"… Jeez. Dekao! You and I sure are cursed."

"Yeah, Dingo. We really are."

"Guts, guts? What's a "curse"?"

"It's too hard for ya to get it."

Dingo and Dekao were talking at Maha Ichiban's: Guts Man looked confused and Tomahawk Man rolled his eyes.

"Heh, heh, heh. A curse… My. It may be mine, even." Wily chuckled and came up with a joke.

"Father… I don't see the point of it." Dr. Regal drily told him.

"I do not, either." Laser Man admitted.

"That reminds me, Regal… Have you been using the gift I gave you?" Wily switched to a serious mood.

"I have. It's working fine insofar." Dr. Regal admitted.

"It is an interesting device." Laser Man admitted.

"…"Device"… It isn't a simple "device"! It's more than that." Wily sounded offended.

"Oh! Let me guess it, Dr. Wily – sama: it's a super weapon to destroy Freeze Man once and for all!" Hinoken ran next to the table while looking eager.

"_No_! It's a _custom radio_ to pick up the _secret_ BBC wavelength and hear to _Unbelievable Truth_!" Count Elec exclaimed.

"I rather think it must be an alarm clock." Madoi joked.

"Madoi! Be serious. A gentleman would not need such an object. An even less a gentleman like Dr. Wily – sama… So try to do something useful instead, will you?" Maha grumbled.

"Hinoken – sama… Can't we bury that past thing?" Fire Man asked while looking slightly nervous.

"Count Elec has too many obsessions…" Elec Man sighed.

"Heh, heh! Dring, dring! Time to wake up, fellas!" Colored Man acted like an alarm clock.

"This is starting to look like a circus." Magic Man grumbled.

"… Hmmm… I see."

"Eh… Meiru – chan. You're not supposed to see that."

Roll called out to Meiru, who was seemingly looking at something by using her PC: the Link PET had been set on the side of it, so Roll couldn't see what Meiru was looking at: she looked slightly interested yet rather unimpressed by that.

"You're 13! And you can't see that until you're at least 18." Roll called out to her.

"Tell that to Atamane and what she did to you and me two months ago, will you?" Meiru calmly countered.

"That was because Agatha was a criminal! I thought we'd agreed to not bringing up the topic again, Meiru – chan!" Roll scolded.

"Whatever. One day I'll deal with the competency in the same manner: it'll be an intelligent thing to do." Meiru shot back.

"No! That won't do, Meiru – chan! That would be a crime! Do you really want to be interned in a reformatory?" Roll yelled.

"Crap. No." Meiru made a grimace.

"Then quit that stuff! Are you going to become a criminal yourself?" Roll reminded her.

"… Yeah. I know. I was pretending, Roll. I just wanted to test if you really can think of your own or you're programmed to always side with whatever I do… Now I do." Meiru sighed.

"Ah… I understand, then, Meiru – chan." Roll made a weak smile.

"Thanks." Meiru made a weak smile as well.

"… Luckily enough we have a good central heating system! We're getting close to 0 Celsius out there…!"

Obihiro was working on something using his laptop while Hunter Man was standing nearby.

"True, Shun – sama. I made sure to check that the surface entrance and the parking's entrance are sealed correctly with the necessary safety codes engaged. The portal machine works fine as well." Hunter Man reported.

"Where's Death, anyway?" Obihiro asked.

"It'd seem he's working on something on the supercomputer's room but he looked so busy that I deemed it was better not to bother him." Hunter Man reported.

"Ah. Then let the guy work on it. He'll surely come up with something cool, anyway." Obihiro shrugged as he drank some hot chocolate.

"I appreciate the compliment, Obihiro. Indeed: my little project will be useful to deal with any mice trying to lay their fingers on the supercomputer..."

Death walked towards them and stopped nearby: he sounded amused and up to something.

"Yeah. I don't doubt it." Hunter Man grinned.

"I dunno why but I think that the snow and gray clouds are a sign of something."

"Good morning: I see you are quick to wake up, guys." Sidier greeted as he came in.

"Yeah. It's 8:37 AM here while it's already 16:37 PM in Japan. They've already had lunch there and must be napping. Guess the _siesta_ is contagious, yeah." Obihiro shrugged.

"What did you think of the display the Tribe Chiefs came up with?" Sidier asked with a grin.

"Splendid: the data collected was juicy." Death replied.

"… Phew! I always end up beaten after practicing _kendo_ against the dummies…"

"Then have the dummies practice it instead on you, Saruba."

"Very funny, Somari – chan."

"Tee, heh, heh."

Saruba was sitting on the steps leading to the throne while having _kendo_ armor on and a towel over his head: Somari had walked in and looked amused as she came up with a joke which Saruba greeted with a totally skeptical look.

"So! Kendo – sama is ready to play Prophet – sama?" Solo joked as he came into the room.

"Solo… The Innocents' Day was on the 28th… It's already the 30th… Did you know that?" Saruba grumbled.

"Who knows?" Solo joked.

"Tee, heh, heh." Somari giggled.

"Man." Saruba rolled his eyes.

"… Shuryou. I have received an email with encrypted contents."

Freeze Man's diamond showed up in the base and it opened to expel condensed vapor before Freeze Man jumped off it into the ground.

"Who sent it?" Gospel questioned.

"The sender says _Sauron_, but it's obvious it was the "Eye".." Freeze Man reported.

"Can you analyze its contents or should we use the computer?" Gospel questioned.

"The computer would do better: it seems to be a commercial protocol yet strengthened somehow by combining segments of a military one." He explained.

"And I can guess what this protocol hides: the exact coordinates of the _triumvirate_'s real world hideout." Gospel muttered with a hint of nervousness.

"I think the same thing, too, Shuryou. It'd seem that the time for the final battle has finally come. If we use the portal machine under the Net Police's supervision, we could travel there by linking it to their machine and get inside in a neat manner." Freeze Man bowed.

"Yeah. I like that plan. It'll be hard. But not impossible. We can do it: we can inflict a heavy blow to them." Gospel muttered.

_And we can put a momentary pause to this relentless conflict…_

"… Heh, heh, heh… Things are going to heat up, my public! This show was very intense and it was very good. Yamikawa may have copies of all schematics and data on his nice temple, but… Before they can rebuild it again, I'll jump into the stage. I secured one pawn. It's about time we proved if its title is a joke or not. Heh, heh, heh…"

The "Eye" was hovering around the WWW base's ruins and speaking aloud as snow fell inside of it and overlapped the dusty ground.

"Ah… Snow, it is. They do say it's meant to represent peace… Everyone nowadays sees it as a sign of the coming cataclysm… Heh, heh! How did they name this? Ah. "Ironic", I think… Well… _Aibou_ must know very well where I went off to but he won't bother to try to chase me."

They then looked at the air and brought up a holographic screen displaying the insides of the underground refuge room.

"The "extra" I arranged for has begun moving. That's good… It wouldn't be an epic battle without a "miraculous" intervention to turn the tide at the most critical moment! _Ladies and gentlemen_: fasten your seatbelts, if you may! The show is about to begin and you may need them so as to not to jump out of your chairs from the nerve and excitement! Hah, hah, hah!"


	33. Chapter 32: Battle: Start

**Chapter 32: Battle: Start**

17:48 PM (Japan Time), Friday December the 30th…

"… Shuryou. The decoding is complete. It is as we thought: the coordinates lead to the _Monte Perdido_ in Aragón. It's about 4 hours by highway from Obihiro's earlier hideout at Arenys de Munt."

Freeze Man reported the results of the analysis and brought up a map of the region.

"I see. And there's an underground refuge there. The coordinates seem to be taken from the machine, so… We should have them inputted into the machine under Net Police custody and we could then get inside without complications. We know the machines are designed that they won't allow to be shut down if someone is in transit. And the transit time is under a second, so… Not even a Navi can react that fast. We have nothing to fear about." Gospel exposed.

"I should go and approach the Net Police with the coordinates, then, Shuryou?" Freeze Man asked.

"Yeah. Go." Gospel commanded.

"… Laika – sama. Freeze Man is here." Search Man reported.

"Freeze Man? Then Gospel has a message. Let him inside."

"Good afternoon. I have important news!" Freeze Man announced.

"Could it be…?" Laika gasped and suddenly stood up to lean on the desk: he looked like he had a hunch.

"Correct! The "Eye" tipped us off: we can storm the underground refuge where Obihiro and the others are at!" Freeze Man confirmed.

"The "Eye"… Then Laika – sama's hypothesis was right: the guy wants us to bring upon the climax." Search Man muttered.

"I suggest gathering everyone but do not try engaging the machine until the thirteen of you are there. We don't want to ruin the surprise element to our attack." Freeze Man suggested.

"Yeah. I agree on it. Search Man! Send a mail asking for everyone to gather to the Net Police HQ: we need to go over what we know." Laika commanded.

"Roger, Laika – sama."

"I'll be returning. I need to be given new orders." Freeze Man announced.

"The time has come…! We're finally going to put a momentary stop to this relentless conflict…!" Laika muttered.

"… Wow!"

The previous twelve "Duo's Crest" owners along with Dr. Regal were standing inside of a warehouse which contained one of those portal-generating machines: the rest of the warehouse was filled with construction material.

"I'm inputting the coordinates. There's no reason to be concerned over the usage of the machine: the actual trip last less than one second given the high acceleration achieved through the Time Space." Search Man announced.

"We three will take point. The others must follow in order." Laika announced.

"… Finally… The time to settle the score has come!" Netto muttered.

"But we'll do that out of duty, otouto. This is not for payback." Saito reminded him.

"Yeah. Cool it down, Netto. We'll need to use all of our skills to fight this battle." Enzan added.

"We shall put a halt to their petty schemes." Blues muttered.

"Oi! Nenjiro! Ya ready for a shakedown?"

"… Nenji. Have you written yer will?" Napalm Man coolly asked.

"Huh? What did ya say?" Rokushadama frowned.

"I'M NOT NENJIRO~!" Napalm Man yelled.

The loud yell knocked Rokushadama into the ground while looking dizzy and disconcerted: Napalm Man smiled and sounded like he'd been holding out for time.

"I had to! I've been holding this one back for over a year!" He laughed aloud.

The others blinked in surprise and seemed taken aback by the behavior: they had had to cover their ears as well.

"Attention!"

The machine hummed as various monitors lighted up and purple electricity streaks jumped out from the inner ring edge to focus on the middle: they then gave way to the purple transparent portal which swirled around the structure.

"I take point! Enzan! Netto! Follow me. The rest: wait two seconds between each person!" Laika instructed.

"Roger!"

He stepped inside and vanished: Enzan followed him and Netto then stepped in as well.

"Let's go!"

The three of them silently stepped out in a large and vast underground room shaped like a square.

The machine was set on the east wall and the north wall had a shutter closing it up.

The west wall had two large armored doors set there along with a control panel while the south wall was just plain steel.

There were some fans in the ceiling and fluorescent lights and a navy blue van had been parked parallel to the south wall.

"This must be the garage. The shutter must have the access ramp leading to the surface. That's how they brought all the heavy stuff inside without too much trouble." Enzan whispered.

The other members began to step out of the machine in silence and they looked around without making any noise: the machine silently shut down and switched to standby mode.

"Hum."

Laika examined the control panel: it was displaying the word "UNLOCKED" written in red Alphabet letters.

"Let's go." He whispered.

He slowly pushed one of the two doors inward without making any noise and glanced inside: he could see part of the production chain machinery there.

_There they are!_

Obihiro was sitting on a chair and working with his laptop as Hunter Man, Sidier and Death talked amongst them.

_Four._

Laika quickly used his left hand and folded the thumb to indicate the number of people present: the others nodded in understanding as Laika softly closed the door.

"Enzan." He whispered.

Enzan had taken out his PET and connected it to the machine: Meijin appeared onscreen: Enzan merely nodded in agreement with the head and Meijin returned the gesture: he quickly typed into the central computer and pressed the button.

"Good luck." He hushed.

The environment's colors began to slowly change to signal how a "Dimensional Area" had been deployed and the group quickly took out their "Synchro Chips": Dr. Regal's one was a Wily-made model like Yuriko's or Miyabi's.

"… What the heck? Did I trigger off "Dimensional Converters" while I was working on the production data?" Obihiro wondered.

"Guess so… Or maybe Kuroumi – sama is pulling a prank?" Hunter Man suggested.

"He looked in a strange mood when I saw him a while ago: it'd seem he and Somari – chan look like they'd love to pull a prank on someone… It seems he did." Sidier seemed to agree with the idea.

"But the local day for pranks was two days ago." Death pointed out.

"You don't know them well enough, Death: they'd love to pull a prank in every day of the year." Sidier sighed.

"Ah. So it would seem…" Death sounded surprised.

The group silently slotted their "Synchro Chips" in and performed "Cross Fusion" next.

"Wow. Regal – san looks cool…" "CF" Netto muttered.

"CF" Laser Man's design was very similar to his original one but had some slight differences: the patterns were drawn differently and his light spectrum signs were drawn on both sides of the shirt-neck-like formation.

The two tubes were now set slightly beneath the shoulders and the pattern drawn outside them was different as well.

"Is it me or I'm hearing some noises on the garage?" Hunter Man suddenly asked.

"Don't mind it: it's gotta be that Pyrenees wind which howls so loud and makes the shutter rattle!" Obihiro ordered.

"Yeah. Solo pulled that prank on me once. I almost thought there was a ghost." Sidier admitted.

"A ghost… A Force Ghost, you thought?" Death sounded amused.

"Yeah. I thought Naga Sadow had come out to torment me." Sidier admitted with a tone of defeatism to his voice.

The doors suddenly opened and the thirteen "Cross Fusion" users ran in while drawing their standard weapons.

"What in the…?"

Obihiro's jaw hit the floor and his empty hot chocolate cup fell off his right hand and into the ground.

"By all the…!"

Hunter Man and the other two stood frozen there for about ten seconds while being seemingly unable to believe what they were seeing.

"… T-the "Net Saviors"!" Obihiro finally gasped.

"H-how did they know the refuge's location? But… I'm sure I locked those doors with the panel and the security code! Any attempts to forcefully open them would've triggered the alarms!" Hunter Man gasped.

"The "Eye": it tipped them off!" Sidier growled.

"Damn." Death cursed.

"Obihiro! This is as far as you come!" "CF" Netto announced.

"Give it up, Hunter Man!" Saito added.

"Laika and Yuriko will handle Sidier. Miyabi and I will handle Death. The rest: go find the supercomputer and secure it! And if you can shut it down then the better. Try to leave it intact if possible." "CF" Blues commanded to the group.

"Roger!"

The four of them were left speechless as eight of the "Cross Fusion" users warped using Area Steal and appeared at the other end of the room: they spotted a corridor leading north and ran in that direction.

"Hunter Man! Get back to the PET ASAP: it's "Cross Fusion" showdown time!" Obihiro announced.

"Roger!"

Hunter Man dematerialized and returned inside of the Link PET while Obihiro rummaged his lab coat's right pocket and took out a "Dark Synchro Chip" which he held out.

"Dark Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"CF" Obihiro appeared there.

He looked almost identical to Hunter Man, although his torso had some lines which formed a square-shaped skull around it.

He gained a mouth guard which had fangs painted on it: he looked terrifying enough by now.

Some purple-colored lines spiraled around the whole length of the legs and arms as well.

"Charge Shotgun Blast! Die, Hikari!" "CF" Obihiro announced.

"Charge Shot!"

Both attacks met each other and exploded while not damaging either of them: they assumed Mexican stand-off positions.

"Che! Come! Power!" Sidier commanded.

He assumed his armored form and made a smug smile as he examined his right hand and arm.

"No holding back… I don't need to play _Infinite Naraku_ to be able to kill you guys!" Sidier exclaimed.

"Hum. The armor levels are something. But it ain't indestructible: we can crack it if we use sufficient strength." "CF" Laika muttered while scanning Sidier's body.

"Battle Chip, Tank Cannon! We'll defeat you, Sidier! Bring it on!" "CF" Yuriko challenged.

"This guy says he's the Reborn Grim Reaper… Well then: try to count how many I've slain." Shadow Man challenged.

"Shadow Man… I don't think this is the time for that." "CF" Miyabi muttered back.

"Reborn Grim Reaper or not… He's just a "Darkloid". He can be defeated if we find out how." "CF" Blues replied.

"Hah. Defeat me, you say? That is impossible for your level of power. But I shall take your souls, so come at me." Death calmly challenged.

"… Over there!"

The group of eight found a large armored door at the end of the corridor leading north which had a large banner set on its surface.

"THANATOS SUPERCOMPUTER"

"Here! Let's open it!" "CF" Laser Man instructed.

"Leave it to me and Nenjiro! Vulcan Arm!"

"Battle Chip, Mega Cannon!" "CF" Roll announced.

"Kingdom Crusher!"

The three attacks left indentations on the door: "CF" Laser Man then kicked it with the right leg and it collapsed out of its frame and inside of the room with a loud metallic sound.

"Go!" He rallied.

They ran inside but they quickly stopped dead on their tracks.

"What is _that_?" "CF" Rokushadama asked.

"Whoa!" "CF" Roll was also surprised.

The supercomputer was built inside of an isolated glass and steel chamber filled with AC systems and wiring: the cabinets could be seen set in rows inside of it and working.

The east, west and north walls had some alcoves with closed curved metallic doors on them.

There were a total of nine alcoves: eight of them were colored white while the ninth one, set directly opposite the entrance, was colored black.

The eight alcoves suddenly opened some small round hatches and let out condensed humidity.

"Huh?" "CF" Dingo wondered.

The double doors unlocked and eight silhouettes walked out at the same time while emitting a low buzz-like circuitry sound and the sound of metal hitting metal.

"Elite Thanatos – Zero is online. Orders: protect Thanatos Core. Annihilate all threats."

Several of the Thanatos robots (colored golden and silver) walked out of the alcoves and began to walk towards the "Net Saviors".

"Uh-oh. Pull back: we'll have to try to fight them in the corridor even though it's just barely wide enough to accommodate three persons on it: this will be a close-quarters fight!" "CF" Laser Man commanded.

They pulled out and the robots followed them: a purple energy field suddenly formed on the threshold and another came up at the south end of the corridor: they were trapped inside of its space.

"Battle Chip, Elec Sword, Elec Blade. Double Slot In."

All of the robots drew the electrical – elemental Sword-type Battle Chips and picked off one opponent each.

"Battle Chip, Long Sword, Long Blade!" Everyone announced.

They began a clash of swords with the robots and tried to hold their ground against them.

"Let's start by heating up. Two!" Sidier announced.

Two of the electricity spheres formed and hovered left and right of his body as he walked towards the two adversaries: he assumed a combat trance and the spheres shot their electricity at the opponents: they dodged and drew their weapons.

"Let's go! Program Advance! Battle Chip, Vulcan! Triple Slot In! Mugen Vulcan!"

"I'll take a shot too! Program Advance! Battle Chip, Hi Cannon! Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!"

"Useless!"

The two attacks merely bounced off Sidier's body and didn't leave any marks save for very slight burn marks: he'd summoned another two spheres which hovered above his head and in front of his feet.

"Cross Attack!"

The spheres' electricity interconnected and formed a cross shape: it shot forward and hit both combatants as they were trying to recover from their "Program Advance" usage: they were electrocuted and pushed into the ground due to the cross' speed.

"Damn." "CF" Laika hissed.

"This is bad." "CF" Yuriko grimly muttered.

"… Sonic Boom!"

"Shadow Blade!"

"Death Aura!"

A blue transparent sphere of energy formed around Death and both attacks were repelled: he then crouched, jumped into the air, assumed a compact position and shot towards the ground: he hit it with force thus pushing both "Net Saviors" back and inflicting damage to them as he landed on his fours and the energy slowly dissipated.

"Ah. If you people were counting on your companions, I think they are rather busy by now." Death announced.

"Oi! Enzan! We're in deep shit! We're fighting "Elite" robots armed with two electrical swords and without much room to maneuver: the width of this corridor only allows for three persons to fit in a row and the length of it could be covered by just the eight of us forming a file! Thus, we've been forced into close-quarters combat!" "CF" Dingo reported.

"Can't you use your special attacks?" "CF" Blues asked as he stood up.

"No! Every time we try, they come up with some Muramasa-like barrier which absorbs the attack and then vents it off with electrical discharges: they've blown out the lights!" "CF" Dingo replied.

"Damn. No lights, narrow space and with those prospects… It could turn deadly, even." "CF" Miyabi muttered.

"I do not have an electronic brain in vain." Death announced.

"So that's the "surprise" ya said ya were working on! Good one!" "CF" Obihiro grinned as he clashed a Fire Blade against "CF" Netto's Flame Sword.

"Heh, heh, heh. Death can come up with _deadly_ ideas." Hunter Man made a pun.

"Shit. You were expecting us to appear here all along!" "CF" Netto cursed.

"Why, you…!" Saito hissed.

"And those shields shall not vanish until all robots are gone. But even if they are, I still have _two_ key cards." Death added.

"Shit. This is spiraling out of control." "CF" Blues cursed.

"We've gotta do what we can! Fight!" "CF" Miyabi rallied.

"Then fight. Soon there shall be nothing but corpses left in this underground facility. Death Missiles!" Death laughed.

He opened a segment of his arm cannon which split into four openings and took aim: he charged up energy and then shot a missile at "CF" Blues: he sliced it but the powerful explosion pushed them into the ground.

"Tank Cannon!"

"Dram Aura!"

The Tank Cannon's blast bounced off the Dream Aura and "CF" Netto was pushed into the ground: he managed to stand up somehow, however.

"If we don't get help soon, this may be our last stand, even…!"

"Crap. This is bad." Saito grimly muttered.

"CF" Netto tensed as "CF" Obihiro aimed his shotgun at him and took aim.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…!"


	34. Chapter 33: Battle: Continuation

**Chapter 33: Battle: Continuation**

10:40 AM (Spain Time), Friday December the 30th…

"… Hell's Buster!"

"Uack!"

The Hell's Buster rounds hit "CF" Obihiro and he had to step back as Forte rushed in.

"Sorry for the delay. Something was keeping the machine busy and I had to shut down some useless apps which were re-spawning themselves and consuming its RAM memory… I guess the "Eye" did this out of dramatics: the help comes at the critical moment." Forte explained.

"You two do not interest me anymore. That one does. And I shall bring out one of my key cards to fight it." Death announced.

"Huh? What did ya say?" Forte questioned.

"Come! Mecha Arachnus"

A four legged mechanical vehicle made of a reddish-colored metal appeared by materializing: it had two "eyes" on both side of the sphere which served as the core.

"Hah!"

Death Shadow jumped inside of it using an open access hatch atop it and closed it from the inside: the eyes turned red and the knee joints opened, revealing machine gun barrels mounted on them: a laser gun emerged from the underside of the machine and it was already charging: and, also, a missile launcher was installed on the back and it was about to unload its cargo on Forte.

"It is made of a very powerful alloy! You shall not be able to break through it! DIE!" Death declared.

Forte dodged the machine gun fire, cut the missiles with his Dark Arm Blade and rolled across the ground to avoid the laser: he stood up and faced the monster with a grimace on his face.

"Shit! This is bad…" He muttered.

"Guess we'll go and try to help the others… Call us if you need a hand dealing with that guy!" "CF" Blues called out.

He and "CF" Miyabi headed towards the corridor only to find that purple opaque shield blocking them off.

"Shadow Blade!"

"CF" Miyabi tried attacking it: it frizzled and shot a streak of electricity back at him thus electrocuting him: he was forced to step back.

"Damn. It's the Muramasa-like shield… We can't break through: the more firepower, the worse the counter will be!" "CF" Miyabi cursed.

"Shit." "CF" Blues growled.

"Beep… Beep… Beep…"

The glow of the robots and the "Cross Fusion" users was all light present given the destruction of the fluorescent lights: the frizzling of the robot's swords was also visible.

"Doesn't anyone have a Battle Chip capable of piercing defenses?" "CF" Laser Man asked in an exasperated tone of voice.

"I _am_ Breaker – Elemental, but this thing doesn't seem to be a shield like a Barrier or a Dream Aura…! Royal Wrecking Ball!" "CF" Pride exasperatedly replied.

"Pain Barrier."

"CF" Pride's attack bounced off the purple barrier surrounding the robot: it glowed and the robot emitted electricity bursts through its blades.

"Wait. I'm not sure if it'll work, but… Battle Chip, Lightning Rod!"

The robot shot electricity at it and it was returned to the blades but it didn't lift the barrier: the cycle repeated.

"Good! I trapped it on an infinite loop: it seems the "Pain Barrier" thing can't handle the voltage they operate on!"

"Bravo!"

"Mag Missile, Mag Missile, Mag Missile!"

The three magnets hit the robot's jetpack and blew it up.

"Auto – repairs nanomachines activated."

The nanomachines began to work even as the smoke was dispersing and at incredibly quick rate: but "CF" Tesla had drawn a Long Sword and plunged it through an incredibly narrow gap: it hit the robot's super energy power core and it began to glow.

"Warning. Warning. Core damaged: initiate Code 222."

"Self-destruction! Tesla! Get away from that pile of junk!" "CF" Airstar gasped.

"CF" Tesla warped and the robot blew up: its shockwave hit the other robots' Pain Barrier and was absorbed: they shot the electricity out and the others had to use their drawn Sword – type Battle Chips to block it off.

"One down!" "CF" Tesla announced.

"Seven left!" "CF" Airstar announced next.

"But the same trick won't work twice." "CF" Meddy warned.

"I don't care! Ice Cannon Ball!" "CF" Roll exclaimed.

She dropped it on the ground and the robot lowered its sight to look at the ice spreading across the ground.

"Bubble Side!"

"Pain Barrier."

The water attack was absorbed by the Pain Barrier but some of the water dripped down the purple barrier: the robot then shot out electricity but something happened: it was conducted across the barrier and down it until it hit the iced ground: given how there was a minimal gap between the floor and the Pain Barrier, the electricity crawled up the robot's body and made it frizzle while spinning around in a totally chaotic manner.

"Warning. Warning. Excessive voltage. Excessive voltage. Unable to enact most systems: overload of electrical capacity. Under current battle circumstances, Code 222 is enforced. Code 222: Activate." The robot reported aloud.

It self-destructed as well and "CF" Roll shielded herself with her arms before seeing that there was nothing left of its body.

"Two down!" She called out.

"Six left! We must use their tricks against them, then!" "CF" Dingo exclaimed.

"Dingo! You're strong against electrical attacks: try using that as an advantage!" "CF" Roll called out.

"O. K.! Oi! Robot! Bite my hood!" "CF" Dingo challenged.

The robot tried to hit "CF" Dingo with both swords but they had no effect given "CF" Dingo's resistivity against electricity: "CF" Dingo then used the narrow window to swing the tomahawk sideways and slam it against the chest armor thus leaving a dent on it: "CF" Dingo kicked it repeatedly with his right foot while moving forward and pushing the robot back: the armor began to crack and shatter to reveal the internal components and the power core.

"Warning. Core exposed. Code 222."

This one also destroyed itself and "CF" Dingo flew across the air until he hit the ground and hard: he groaned.

"Uh… I did it! Three down!" He exclaimed.

"Five left! Let's join forces: if we're more than one opponent, I suspect it'll be unable to properly react!" "CF" Rokushadama announced.

"… Bravo, Nenji! Ya are finally learnin' to use yer brains! I'll praise ya today! Mwah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" Napalm Man told him with obvious sarcasm.

"Wha~t?" "CF" Rokushadama growled.

"CF" Roll joined "CF" Pride on battling another of the robots: it extended its arms wide to be able to attack both opponents with each sword but both girls didn't let it get past their defenses.

"Princess! I'll be bait! Please use your Breaker attacks on it! Hey! Ugly! You can't do that to a lady: it ruins their subtle beauty we have! Get lost in the desert!" "CF" Roll told her before taunting the robot.

"Okay! Kingdom Crusher!"

"CF" Pride moved behind the robot while "CF" Roll clashed blades with it and tried to push forward: "CF" Pride's wrecking ball tore through the jetpack and hit the power core as well.

"Code 222 enabled."

Both girls ran out as it blew up in a pile of raw materials and then joined the rest.

"Four down! We've got another four left!" "CF" Pride announced.

"We can do it!" "CF" Meddy exclaimed.

"Can someone help me distract this one?" "CF" Laser Man politely asked.

"Yes, sir! Area Steal!" "CF" Roll announced.

She warped in front of the robot and locked blades with it: they suddenly engaged the Pain Barrier and set it so that his forearms were left outside of it.

"Damn. They learn from what happens during the battle!" "CF" Laser Man cursed aloud.

"Enemies are foolish. Foolish." The robot intoned.

"Bingo! Battle Chip, Geyser, Tornado!" "CF" Roll exclaimed.

She pressed her hand on the ground and the resulting spiral provoked for rain to appear inside of the room and soak the ground and the robots' exposed bodies: the electricity travelled across their forearms and the ground and up their bodies thus electrocuting them.

"Cross Laser!"

"CF" Laser Man lifted it from behind and used his tubes to shot a yellow blast of energy which had a _shuriken_-like form: it pierced through the robot and blew up on his arms.

"Five down! Three left!" He called out.

"Yesss! My climax! Tomahawk Rolling!"

"Don't get cocky." Tomahawk Man grumbled.

"CF" Dingo rammed into the robot and it was pushed back: it switched its electrical swords for Flame – Elemental swords: a Flame Sword and a Fire Blade.

"Ops." "CF" Dingo gulped.

"Told ya." Tomahawk Man grumbled.

"Meddy Capsule!"

The capsules impacted the robot and paralyzed it: "CF" Meddy then plunged the Long Sword and the Long Blade into the robot: they pierced from the front as if to indicate their length.

"Code 222…!"

This one also detonated and became no more than useless scrap scattered across the ground.

"Six down! Two left!" "CF" Meddy exclaimed.

"Hah! That's what happens when ya laugh at a lady's face." "CF" Tesla boasted.

"Tesla… This ain't the moment for that!" "CF" Airstar grumbled.

"Napalm Bomb!"

The projectile shot by "CF" Rokushadama hit the robot's chest armor and opened a hole on its body.

"Hra~h!"

"CF" Rokushadama used his mounted shoulder cannons to bombard the core with energy rounds: the core increased in size and then collapsed just like a miniature supernova: the explosion annihilated the robot and its head flew across the air: it bounced off "CF" Rokushadama's helmet and rolled across the ground before stopping: "CF" Rokushadama stepped back and felt a persistent echo inside of his helmet.

"Good job in there, Nenji – san! Seven down! One left!" "CF" Pride smiled at him.

"Ah! Eh… Thanks, Princess!" He blushed and scratched the back of his head.

"Has the robot's head tried to enlighten ya?" Napalm Man joked.

"Wha~t?" "CF" Rokushadama protested.

"Tornado Arm!"

The attack sent the robot flying across the room and it hit the energy field: the resulting explosion was more than it could handle and it collapsed just like their power cores: the one at the south end of the corridor remained activated, though.

"Phew! We did it!" "CF" Laser Man sighed in relief.

"Let's secure the supercomputer!" "CF" Roll rallied.

They ran back inside but found the same shield surrounding the whole supercomputer structure: a red light set above the remaining alcove turned green and it unlocked.

"Crap. There's something there." "CF" Roll muttered.

"And it's gotta be something bad." "CF" Dingo grumbled.

A figure stepped out of the alcove and quickly jumped across the air before landing in front of them and standing up:

The figure was over a meter and ninety tall.

His body design was highly reminiscent of Rock Man's one too.

He wore a helmet with a mouth guard activated: his eyes' irises were visible and it could be seen that they were colored crimson red.

His chest emblem consisted on just two shades of black and white split by a horizontal grey line: he had two curious shoulder pads which were shaped as two split halves of a diamond: his main body's color was navy blue although the forearms and his boots were colored in purple.

A black smooth cape hung from the back of his shoulders and reached all the way to the floor as well as an add-on to his bodysuit.

He also had some extra armor colored in a blackish color and having purple bands around the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles.

The new form over the main body included an armored belt with two sword sheaths colored in a dull gray metallic color and having purple patterns drawn across them attached to the belt.

His helmet design included a new type of armor covering his eyes: two hexagon-shaped Plexiglas slits were placed over the eyes while the mouth-guard gained the looks of a gas mask.

A purple cape with black edges hung from the back of his shoulders and reached all the way to the ground.

Overall he looked terrific enough.

"What? A _Darth Vader_ rip-off…?" "CF" Airstar wondered.

"Wrong! That's Twilight: the Demon King!" "CF" Roll gasped as she signaled him.

"So? What do you people think of my second key card?" Death taunted through a speaker.

"It's gotta be a copy!" "CF" Roll yelled.

"But of course. A copy without personality file: a fighting machine. But its "Vadous Chaos" power is nothing to be looked down upon." Death confirmed.

"Endless Cyclone, Vicious Fire!"

A huge black tornado covered the area: Copy Twilight then shot purple fire from his hands and they merged with the tornado: it hit "CF" Pride and "CF" Dingo: their "Cross Fusions" got cancelled.

"Dingo!" "CF" Roll gasped.

"Princess Pride!" "CF" Laser Man called out.

"Mag Ball!"

"Tornado Arm!"

"Great Avalanche, Mighty Wave!"

Several boulders materialized in there and fell on top of both "CF" Tesla and "CF" Airstar thus burying them under the resulting pile. A _tsunami_ wave then swept the area and hit them: they were knocked out of the fight as well.

"Damn! We're reduced to four: and we haven't even begun to attack him!" "CF" Laser Man hissed.

"Roll Arrow!"

"Vulcan Arm!"

"Meddy Capsule!"

"Time Flow, Ray of Darkness, Pure Light!"

The flow of time around the four "Cross Fusion" fighters slowed considerably and their attacks moved slower: a phantom hourglass was floating around them.

"Ugh…!"

Copy Twilight shot a black orb which hit "CF" Laser Man fully thus cancelling his "Cross Fusion": he then shot two white beams from his palms which hit "CF" Meddy: she was left out cold as well.

"We're down to us two!" "CF" Roll gasped.

"Damn! Napalm Bomb!"

"Seal of Infinity, Double Thunder!"

A purple symbol of infinity appeared in front of "CF" Rokushadama and he was literally turned into stone.

"Nenji – san!"

Copy Twilight took out both swords and crossed them to form the shape of the letter X: he shot a powerful electrical beam forward and hit "CF" Rokushadama: he fell to the ground and reverted out of "Cross Fusion" too.

"No way… Just me… Against the Demon King…?" "CF" Roll sounded afraid and was stepping back.

"Meiru – chan! Remember how you defeated Desert Man!" Roll suddenly called out.

"Oh! True! Rush Hole!" "CF" Roll gasped.

She pressed her right palm on the ground and the cybernetic pit opened beneath Copy Twilight's feet: he tried to hold into the air but he was sucked inside of it and he then blew up in a large explosion.

"Good job, woman. But… While you people were playing, the supercomputer initiated Code 311: copy of all contained battle data and schematics to a server built inside of the Dark Realm! Even if you take over the supercomputer, you shall find nothing else but the OS. And we can always recreate one or take over an existing one. In short: your efforts have been in vain." Death laughed.

"No…! All of this… In vain…?" "CF" Roll gasped.

She collapsed on the now normal ground out of exhaust: her "Cross Fusion" reverted and her Link PET hit the ground next to her: she had a grimace on her face as well.

"Meiru – chan!" Roll gasped.

"… Damn." "CF" Netto cursed.

"Heh, heh, heh." "CF" Obihiro chuckled.

They were still clashing but both had gained some wounds which they didn't seem to care about.

"Laser!"

"Darkness Overload!"

"Pain Barrier!"

"Shit!"

Forte was trying to fight the Mecha Arachnus as he dodged the laser gun but Death summoned the Pain Barrier and absorbed the attack which he returned in the form of a missile barrage: Forte rolled across the ground and jumped to cut it but he was starting to get tired.

"… Freeze Bullet!"

"Evil Source!"

"Sonic Boom!"

"Needle Cannon!"

The four attacks bombarded Sidier: he didn't seem to feel them, even, as he stood still and folding his arms: he then warped and kicked "CF" Blues against a yellowish barrier shaped like a circle: he hit it and was knocked out of the fight.

"Heh, heh, heh. Sword types can't harm me." He chuckled.

"Damn! We need help!" "CF" Miyabi cursed.

"Yeah! This is turning worse!" "CF" Laika hissed.

"What do we need to break this armor? A tank…?" "CF" Yuriko cursed.

"Whatever you do is futile!" Sidier exclaimed.

There was a sudden rattling sound which sounded like a shutter opening followed by a truck's horn and the sound of a truck's engine: everyone stopped and looked at the garage: the portal machine was starting up as well.

"What the hell?" "CF" Obihiro cursed.

The truck stopped while the portal finished loading up: two figures stepped out: Trill and Iris.

"T-Trill!" "CF" Netto gasped.

"Iris!" "CF" Laika exclaimed.

"Netto! Saito!" Trill greeted.

"We made in on time!" Iris muttered aloud.

"What's going on?" Saito asked.

"We got a message which told us to bring help."

"Huh? Who sent it?" Forte asked.

"We don't know. The sender was not listed."

"Calling on Bubble Man! Puku!"

Bubble Man materialized next to the truck and opened the cargo compartment: it was full of "Copy Roids".

"Whoa!" "CF" Netto gasped.

"Forte – sama! I brought help! Puku!" Bubble Man announced.

Bubble Man began to unload the "Copy Roids" with Iris' and Trill's help and set them to face the portal machine.

"Preparations: complete! Puku!" Bubble Man announced.

"It's our turn!" A familiar voice announced.

"TRANSMISSION!" Several voices announced.

"No way!" "CF" Netto caught up.

"W-whoa!" "CF" Laika uttered.

"Is that…?" "CF" Yuriko realized.

"Fight! For our companions' future! Fight!"


	35. Chapter 34: The power of bonds

**Chapter 34: The power of bonds**

11:03 AM (Spain Time), Friday December the 30th…

"… W-WHOA!"

The glow began to diminish to give way to several Navis aligned in a row inside of the garage.

"Yessir! The Dynamic Duo is here!"

"Ho, ho, ho!"

"Ground Man and Dust Man!" "CF" Blues uttered.

"Hmmm!"

"Tengu Man!" "CF" Laika exclaimed.

"Slice 'em up!"

"Slash Man!" "CF" Netto gasped.

"Charge 'em!"

"Charge Man!"

"Hah, hah, hah! Festival, festival! Bloody festival!"

"Killer Man…!" "CF" Laika exclaimed.

"Operation: start!"

"The "Beyondard" Shark Man too…!" "CF" Netto exclaimed.

"Heh, heh, heh."

"Skull Man!"

"Hro~h!"

"Wood Man, too!" Saito gasped.

"There's _nothing_ I can't burn!"

"Whoa! Even Fire Man…!" "CF" Netto muttered aloud.

"Tee, heh, heh! The "WWW" Team attacks!"

"Colored Man…!" "CF" Miyabi was taken aback.

"Who's up for a million volts shower?"

"Elec Man!" "CF" Yuriko gasped.

"We shall display our power!"

"And Magic Man…! Whoa!" "CF" Netto was awed.

There were a total of sixteen Navis (counting Iris, Trill and Bubble Man) standing there.

"Okay! The "WWW Team" will go for the robot thing!" Magic Man announced.

"We'll help deal with the armored grunt!" Shark Man announced.

"J-just how did they…?" "CF" Obihiro gasped in disbelief.

"Damn. The "Eye"! The lowlife arranged for this!" Sidier hissed.

"Trill: go." Iris told him.

"Netto! Saito! Let's go!" Trill called out for them as he ran towards them while smiling.

"No way…!" "CF" Obihiro gasped.

Iris closed her eyes and clasped her hands while building up energy: Trill became a sphere of energy and his power surrounded "CF" Netto's body with an intense blue aura.

"It can't be…!" Hunter Man cursed.

"The power of the "Synchronizer"…!" Death gasped.

The light dimmed and "CF" Netto had gained a new form which looked like a fusion of both "Greiga" and "Falzer" the main color of which was white and it included the wings, the "lion head helmet", and a tail as well as claws and talons: something about it gave off a vibe of power which could be felt across the room.

"That form…! No way…! The 3rd "Bestialize Style"…!" "CF" Obihiro gasped.

"Yeah. Get ready, Obihiro!" "CF" Netto challenged.

"Ice Stage!"

The ground beneath the Mecha Arachnus froze, and it skidded along it in a crazy way until it hit the left wall with a loud CRASH sound.

"Freeze Man…?" Forte wondered.

Freeze Man jumped inside of the room and walked over to Forte while the Mecha Arachnus struggled to recover control.

"Forte. Or should I say… Gospel Shuryou?" Freeze Man announced.

"What!" Forte gasped.

"I thought so." Freeze Man smiled.

"S-since when…?"

"Oh. Maybe two weeks ago, more or less… I began thinking back but what got my nose is that you'd left by the time I finished repairs after the Sharo Tower Battle." Freeze Man admitted.

"Uh… Well… I thought you wouldn't want to help others unless I pretended to be your boss…" Forte admitted.

"I'm not angry at it. It was a good lesson for me: I've redeemed for some of my sins. So… I'm going to fight alongside you."

"… Fine. Do as you like." Forte invited with a smile.

"Why, you…!" Death grumbled from inside of the machine.

"Ice Tower!"

"Hell's Buster!"

"Fire Arm!"

"Fire Tower!" Colored Man announced.

"Magic Fire!"

"Lighting Flare!"

The four former WWW Navis along with Forte and Frezee Man attacked Mecha Arachnus.

"Go!"

The Ice Tower tossed it upside down and it slid around its own axis while being out of control: Forte's shots bounced off but increased the spin rate while the legs waved into the air in vain.

"DAMN YOU~!"

The fire attacks began to melt the alloy while Elec Man overloaded all exposed circuitry with his electrical attacks.

"No matter how thick an alloy is: it's still metal!" Elec Man began.

"And no matter how powerful it is: it still has a melting point!" Fire Man added.

The three Navis directed the fire attacks at the front of the vehicle: a blue beam suddenly shot out and attached to Fire Man: he struggled to break free but his attack's power began to decrease until he dropped into the ground while being seemingly in very low HP.

"What the heck?" Colored Man wondered.

A red beam shot out next and attached to him: it suddenly let go and quickly attached to the other two for a second: the Navis quickly collapsed and their chest emblems glowed with a pale red light.

"… Did you think that level of power would be enough to defeat me? You damned herd of fools… Feel the power of my anger!" Death's icy voice rang out.

The atmosphere seemed to freeze all of a sudden and the temperature lowered even though the garage shutter had been lowered: ice began to form on the walls and ceiling while the color changed to a pallid blue tone as if to indicate the coldness of the room.

"Shit." Forte growled.

A bluish fog emerged from the wrecked Mech Arachnus and Death slowly floated out of it before standing on the ground: he signaled Forte's forehead with his left hand's index finger: the _shi_ _Kanji_ was drawn on it and Forte clutched his head while he yelled in apparent pain.

"My mark is like the scar Potter has… It reacts whenever I am close… And it brings upon unbearable pain… The only method to be free of it is to enter the eternal sleep…" He announced.

"You lowlife…!" Freeze Man hissed.

"My blue beam robs HP: my red beam inflicts a bug which drains all HP but 1 of the enemies! I upgraded it." He announced next.

"Damn. I thought as much: this guy is no joke!" Freeze Man made a grimace.

"And do not mistake me for an Ice – Elemental "Darkloid": I have no element. Death Spiral Beam!"

Death's body glowed and his arm cannon charged up energy before shooting a bluish beam of energy shaped like a spiral: it cleaved through Freeze Man's body and he opened his mouth wide as he collapsed on the ground.

"Ugh… I have to retreat…!"

He quickly dematerialized while Forte managed to climb up to his feet while looking furious.

"You lowlife… You've asked for it!" He roared.

A purplish shape formed behind Forte: "Nebula Grey": Death actually stepped back.

"…"Nebula Grey"…! The evil soul of man turned into data by the evil Dr. Regal…! The source of ell "evil"…!" He muttered.

"Eh? Ah. That must be how it was in you lowlife's universe, but… This was a result of Twilight merging with the "Wily Program" and igniting "Spectrum" a little over a year ago…"

"Che."

"I absorbed a huge amount of the resulting bugs: and this power defeated Slur!" Forte announced.

"Damn." Death muttered.

"Darkness Over…!"

"Boost Ball!"

Death suddenly morphed into a sphere no bigger than a basket ball with grooves drawn on the sides: it looked like it was made of two dome-shaped pieces with a little space left in the middle: the sphere suddenly boosted towards Forte's face while leaving a reddish halo of energy behind its trail.

"What in the…?" Forte gasped.

The sphere hit him on the face and knocked him into the ground: Forte then found a small oval-like metallic object with a vertical pattern drawn on the middle of it: that thing was glowing.

"Shit."

He got rid of it and jumped away just as a brutal explosion shattered the whole ice in the room and heated up the atmosphere.

"What destructive power…!" He gasped.

"… Groa~h! Stay back, you lowlifes…!"

"Rock Crush Breaker!"

"Go, Ground Man!"

Ground Man had lifted Sidier, rammed him on the wall and was now drilling into his body with his two drills while Dust Man was helping him apply more force.

"Go, go!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Festival! Bloody festival! Slice 'em up into pieces!"

The other Navis looked on but failed to notice one of the oval bombs softly rolling across the ground after a blurry quick shape ran across the spot.

"What?" Shark Man gasped.

The explosion took all but Ground Man and Dust Man out by sending them flying and dispersing around the room.

"Huh! I owe ya one, Death!" Sidier called out as he tried to push Ground Man back.

"Deal with those lowlifes. But Forte is my prey." Death called out from inside the sphere as he moved around at a mad speed.

He began to ram into the Navis and further knocked them back until they'd been pushed into the garage: Death then hit the control panel: he broke it and it got switched it to "LOCKED" mode.

"Hah!"

The doors locked up and two energy barriers formed on either side of them, to Iris', Bubble Man's, and the other Navis' surprise.

"Damn." Killer Man growled.

"How are we gonna open them again? The panel on the other side is busted and I doubt it capable of operating again… And Ground Man was the one who got left behind!" Shark Man cursed.

"Trill…!" Iris gasped.

The "Beyonard" Barrel suddenly ran out of the portal while carrying a tool box: he examined the control panel and unscrewed it: he then found the wires beneath it and cut all of them: the energy shield vanished.

"There." He smiled.

"Oh!" Everyone gasped in relief.

"There's nothing which you can't fix with a good old-style pair of pliers: never forget that." He announced with a smug smile.

The doors suddenly exploded as Ground Man and Dust Man were pushed back by the expanding shockwave: they hit the ground and groaned in pain.

"Uh… We managed to break about 70% of that guy's armor… Man! It was thicker than the "Rocks of Steel", even!" Ground Man reported.

"Man… Who the hell is that morph-able guy?" Dust Man cursed.

The group looked inside: Sidier had indeed lost most of the armor around the head, legs and arms but his central body still retained a lot of it: he'd summoned eight electricity spheres and was giving trouble to "CF" Laika and "CF" Yuriko: Miyabi had been knocked out of the fight.

"Looks bad." Barrel grumbled.

Forte was trying to dodge and fight the sphere but it was way too fast even for his Hell's Buster rounds.

"Stay still, you lowlife!" He roared.

"Excuse me… What is his name?" Iris asked Bubble Man.

"Huh? Forte – sama, puku…" Bubble Man replied.

"Forte – sama! Please calm down! The enemy is trying to incite you to use rage and hatred to fight it: it will only fuel it!" Iris called out.

"What? Oh! I see… He wants to play Sith Lord, then!" Forte realized, seemingly snapping out of his angry mood.

"Che. Bothersome woman." Death grumbled.

Forte quickly ran and got in the middle of the entrance so as to block Deaht from trying to attack Iris.

"No more playing around… I shall get serious!" Death announced.

He resumed his normal form and spun around the air while generating some kind of static electricity form shaped like a screw: it hit Forte and he was electrocuted.

"Uack!"

"I cannot do Force Lighting but I think this shall compensate for it." Death announced.

"Grr… Huh! Gotta cool it down…!" Forte muttered.

Death landed on the ground and opened his arm cannon: five missiles shot out and flew towards Forte's head, shoulders and knees: Forte gasped and used the Hell's Buster to intercept them out of instinct.

"Is that all?" Death taunted.

"Darkness Over…!"

"Gra~h!"

He was interrupted as "CF" Laika was kicked across the air, flew past him, and landed inside of the truck's cargo area: his "Cross Fusion" broke up from the crash.

"Ya~h!"

"CF" Yuriko and Miyabi fell on top of "CF" Laika and also got knocked out of her "Cross Fusion" form although Miyabi was already out cold.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" Sidier laughed as he walked towards them.

"Crap." They all muttered.

"Nothing! Nothing can stop me!" He laughed.

"Che! Hell's Sickle!"

"Fin Cutter!"

"Woody Tower!"

"Bone Stalker!"

"Dust Break!"

"Rock Crush Breaker!"

"Volcano Charge!"

"Rolling Slasher!"

"Tengu Thrust!"

The attacks hit Sidier and made some more patches of armor fall down but he only laughed like a psycho.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah! You bothersome bunch of fools! Eat sword!"

He drew the two swords and quickly dashed around: he slashed some of the Navis before they could react and suddenly landed in front of Iris: Barrel shielded her and took out a steel rood.

"Heh, heh, heh. I know some people who would pay fine to have such merchandise." He announced.

"You lowlife…!" Barrel hissed.

"Sidier! Are you trying to provoke me?" Saruba called out in an irritated tone of voice through his ear pads.

"Emperor S – sama! I apologize! I got carried away, sir…!" He quickly saluted.

"Be serious!" Saruba growled.

"Y-yes, sir! By your orders, sir!" He confirmed.

"Now!" Barrel rallied.

The Navis attacked Sidier again but he ignored them and headed back inside of the main room while swinging his swords upwards: some diamonds formed and joined to create a barrier of sorts at both sides of the destroyed opening.

"Obihiro! How are you handling it?" Sidier called out.

"CF" Obihiro had been pushed into the ground and "CF" Netto was gripping his chest emblem while seemingly trying to force the cancellation of his "Cross Fusion": the shotgun was broken and revealed "CF" Obihiro's right forearm inside of there.

"Grah! The Synchronizer's power is no joke! Gimme a hand!"

"Gladly. Take this!"

Sidier kicked "CF" Netto on the neck: he let go of "CF" Obihiro out of instinct and Sidier then kicked his lower jaw to separate them: "CF" Netto, however, was able to form an orb of energy and shot it at "CF" Obihiro.

"Gra~h!"

His "Cross Fusion" was undone and he lost consciousness as the Link PET hit the ground and ejected the damaged "Dark Synchro Chip".

"Guess it was no joke, then…" Sidier muttered.

"Yeah! You're next!" "CF" Netto told him as he stood up.

"Firstly, though…" Sidier muttered.

He snapped his right hand's fingers: a "Dimensional Converter" emerged and Obihiro was warped out of the room.

"I sent him to another refuge Emperor S – sama designed." Sidier smugly announced.

"Bring it on!" "CF" Netto challenged.

"Gladly. I'll make Death a favor and slowly kill you off before he delivers the finishing blow." Sidier grinned.

"Do it." Death commanded.

He was transformed into the spheroid and turning Forte nervous as he was able to get a lock on its crazy speed and movements: the bombs he laid out were wrecking the equipment on the room but Death didn't seem to care.

"Shit. Earth Breaker!"

Forte jumped and hit the spheroid as it was shooting towards him: the resulting explosion pushed both of them back and the spheroid began to crack and shatter: it finally broke down and revealed Death's shrunken body which then grew back to normal size.

"My Death Ball was destroyed… It matters not." He muttered.

"Hell's Buster!"

Forte shot several rounds at Death but he ignored them and waved his right hand to freeze the atmosphere again.

"Grappling Beam!"

He shot a pallid blue/white beam at the ceiling and it attached to one of the fans: he used it as grappling point as he swung across the room at kicked Forte's chest with both feet before jumping into the ground and grabbing him with the left hand.

"Hah!"

The _Kanji_ glowed and Forte yelled in pain as Death began to charge up his arm cannon.

"Be gone."

"Grah! Hell's Rolling!"

The two indented wheels hit Death and pushed him back while climbing over his body and keeping on: Forte broke free and aimed his Hell's Buster at the guy.

"So be it. Last Round!" Death challenged.

"Y-yeah! Last Round!" Forte challenged back.

"Go for it, Forte!" "CF" Netto rallied.

"Forte – sama~! Puku~! _Ganbare_~! Puku~!" Bubble Man animated.

"Do your best, sir!" Iris encouraged.

"Hmpf. So you wanna repeat what happened back when the Twilight Tower day… Can you do it?" Saruba challenged over Sidier's radio.

"I don't care! What I care is that this battle ends TODAY!" "CF" Netto shot back while tackling Sidier.

"Huh! No joke, yeah… But that won't be enough, Hikari Brothers!"

"Bring it on!"

"Let's go! Saito – niisan! Trill! This is it! HRA~H!"


	36. Chapter 35: Battle: Conclusion

**Chapter 35: Battle: Conclusion**

11:47 AM (Spain Time), Friday December the 30th…

"… Death Spiral Beam!"

"Hell's Buster!"

"Hrah!"

"Ya~h!"

Forte bombarded Death with quick shots while Death tried to hit him with his arm cannon's charged attack while Sidier attacked "CF" Netto with his swords but "CF" Netto used his forearms to block them and then shot those blue spheroids at Sidier.

"Damn. What does it take to harm you?" "CF" Netto cursed.

"You'll need to do better than that, Hikari…" Sidier taunted.

"You copied that from Count Dooku." Saito grumbled.

"Yeah. I think it fits with the mood."

"Shit. Have this, then!"

"CF" Netto stepped back and suddenly shot forward and past Sidier while causing a sonic boom: the force of it made some more pieces of Sidier's body armor jump off around his shoulders and hips: but the remainder was still up.

"I've still got 30% of armor left… And my swords are eager to taste some fresh blood!" He announced.

"Shit." "CF" Netto hissed.

"How is it like, Forte? Feeling the despair? Feeling the terror before the eternal slumber?" Death taunted.

"You're the one who's gonna feel it once I can shoot my Darkness Overload at you." Forte growled.

"Try it." Death challenged.

"You asked for it! Darkness Overload!"

"Pain Barrier!"

"Shit!"

The Pain Barrier absorbed Forte's attack and Death's body shone with a blue halo: he laughed in his icy voice and then caused for those columns of ice to show up while he summoned two copies: they all spun around the area at a mad speed.

"Crap." Forte cursed.

The clones then joined to form a triangle and began to shoot a continuous beam of fire around the area: Forte had to duck as the columns shattered and fragments of ice rained down around the area.

"Hrah!"

"Grah!"

Sidier's swords made two deep cuts on "CF" Netto's right arm and revealed his shirt beneath it: he stepped back and grumbled something under his breath.

"Well then… Eat this!" He yelled.

He was surrounded by a reddish shield and he jumped towards the ceiling before diving towards Sidier: the impact caused a wave of heat to expand around the room and it was powerful enough to destroy the two copies of Death, who stepped back.

"What?" He gasped.

"Gruo~h!" Sidier roared.

He fell on his knees and tried to use his swords to support his body as more armor fell off and only a patch around the chest, shaped like a white diamond, was left.

"Damn. Armor's down to 10%...! But I won't give up! Demon Sword! Hah, hah, hah, hah!" He announced.

"Crap." "CF" Netto muttered.

He replaced his swords for a different weapon: it looked like a rather wide sword with diamond patterns drawn into it and indented edges similar to a saw's.

He held it with both hands and aiming downwards before swinging it and hitting "CF" Netto's upper torso: it cut another portion of the bodysuit and left a cut mark on his orange vest.

"Shit. Gotta be careful…!" "CF" Netto muttered.

"So? What happened to the earlier guts, Hikari?" Sidier taunted.

"Shut the trap up. I'm gonna beat you!" "CF" Netto announced.

"But that won't end it, you know."

"I knew that. But it'll force you guys to make a pause before commencing your next campaign!" "CF" Netto replied.

"So you do have brains." Sidier taunted him.

"Trill! Can I use Battle Chips?" "CF" Netto called out.

"Yeah! Be careful, Netto! They drain a lot of power!" Trill replied.

"Thanks! Battle Chip, Salamander!"

"No…!" Sidier gasped.

The heat forced him to shield himself with the Demon Sword and "CF" Netto plummeted into him: the explosion and the resulting shockwave even hit Death and sent him flying until he crashed with the damaged Mecha Arachnus' remains.

"GROA~H!"

The smoke cleared and both combatants were clearly exhausted by now: Sidier's armor finally shattered and he fell on his fours, panting and dropping the Demon Sword into the ground: he growled under his breath.

"Recovery 300!" "CF" Netto announced.

"Recovery 300!" Sidier growled.

Both stood up and readied.

"Hra~h!"

"Hora~h!"

Both began to punch and kick each other as they rolled across the ground and stood up only to jump into each other and kept on.

"Death Beam!"

Death shot the blue beam at Forte and it attached to him: Forte aimed his hands towards him.

"Darkness Overload!"

"Damn!"

The blast hit Death and the blue beam was cancelled: Death managed to stand up and he was beginning to leak data: his nanomachines came out and repaired his wounds.

"Huff… Huff… Not yet!"

Some nanomachines began to work on repairing the Mecha Arachnus while Death glowed and shot the blue beam at one of the still intact machines: he absorbed its energy and it shut down.

"Net Navis are not the only things from which I can draw power out. Now you are doomed." Death laughed.

"Shit."

"Huh…! PUKU~! Forte – sama! Fight on! Puku! For the sake of the "Darkloids"! Puku! PUKU~!"

"Yeah! Fight! Fight!" The other Navis encouraged.

"Guys… I'm now fueled up! Let's turn this thing around!" Forte muttered, surprised, before smiling.

"Bothersome mice." Death grumbled.

"And that's where you fail: you and the "Darkloids" only believed in your own power and foolishly thought you were overwhelmingly strong."

"Be silenced! Come! Mecha Arachnus!"

The Mecha Arachnus started up and ran up towards Death as it opened the pilot's hatch: Death jumped inside of it and it closed: the eyes shone red and the whole thing glowed with a blue light.

"That thing won't save you. I'll defeat you for the sake of those who believe on me!" Forte announced.

"Netto~!"

"Huh? Meiru - chan! Everyone!"

"CF" Netto looked at the still working shield sealing up the corridor's entrance and heard the eight "Cross Fusion" users' voices.

"Good luck!" Everyone encouraged.

"Sonic Boom!"

"Uack!"

Sidier was pushed back as "CF" Blues joined the fight by drawing a Neo Variable Sword.

"Enzan!"

"Let's fight together, Netto!" "CF" Blues rallied.

"Okay!" "CF" Netto nodded in agreement.

"Ijuuin…!" Sidier growled.

He roared and summoned those spheres of electricity: they fed him energy and he drew his normal swords again.

"Have you written your wills? You won't come out alive of this one! I'll bury you in His lands! I'll mince you and drop you into HELL! As mere remains!" Sidier hissed.

"Samurai Sword!"

"CF" Netto drew the Samurai Sword and both he and "CF" Blues clashed blades with Sidier while trying to push forward: Sidier grumbled and tried to push them back instead.

"Missiles! Laser! Machineguns!"

Forte intercepted some of the missiles: the laser hit him on his upper torso and he had to shield himself from the machinegun fire projected by the Mecha Arachnus.

"Huh!"

The thing suddenly tackled him and lifted one of the four legs to reveal a large needle set on its plant: it was aiming for his neck and it shone with a menacing light.

"Not yet! Darkness Overload!"

The blast hit the underside of the robot and blew up the laser gun as it forced it to tumble over and roll across the ground until it hit the energy shield blocking off the corridor: the resulting explosion blew the machine up and Death was catapulted out of it until he met the far wall, crashed on it, and slid down into the ground.

"Let's go!"

The corridor's barrier disappeared and the eight "Cross Fusion" members, who'd already recovered, ran in.

"Netto!" "CF" Roll called out.

"Meiru – chan! Everyone!" "CF" Netto was relieved.

"You can do it!" "CF" Dingo rallied.

"Good luck!" The others rallied.

"Grah… More bothersome mice… Damn the "Eye"! Show your figure, you lowlife! I shall exterminate you interloper!" Death growled.

The "Eye" suddenly showed up and an echoing chuckle rang out while filling the room: it projected a message in Japanese.

"… "Not yet: Yamikawa's show ain't over yet. Once it is, then I'll butt in one day or another. But until then, I'll be glad to pull some strings behind the scenes. I'm an overseer but I don't believe in being "passive": I'm the hyperactive kind of guy. Until then… Slowly… And carefully… Wrap up this entertaining show co-directed by me. Yours gallantly, Sauron." … What a snobby guy." "CF" Blues read aloud before making a comment of his own in a slightly annoyed tone of voice.

"Sauron! Do not laugh at my face. You lowlife are but a mere imitator: I do not know the extent of the power of you lowlife, but it shall not be enough to take in the whole _triumvirate_ at once alone!" Death scoffed as he aimed his arm cannon at the "Eye".

The "Eye" merely drew a red circle into the air and the atmosphere began to heat up all of a sudden: all of the friendly Navis' and "Cross Fusion" users (except for "CF" Netto and Forte) began to emit energy towards "CF" Netto and Forte: it produced a yellow glow around their bodies and they looked at them in a surprised manner.

"This feeling…! I remember! _Full Synchro_…!" "CF" Netto gasped.

"And my power is back to 100% while it was at 70% until a few second ago… I'm as powerful as I was back when I defeated Slur in the "Past Tunnel" over a year ago…!" Forte gasped.

"No way! He increased their power, you say?" Sidier gasped.

"Enzan! Step back! I'm gonna settle in one shot!" "CF" Netto instructed.

"Fine!"

"Hra~h…! CHARGE SHOT!" Both Netto and Saito roared.

The brutally overpowered blast hit Sider fully and he roared as he was pushed against a piece of machinery and got stuck there: several parts of his bodysuit had broken to reveal his skin beneath the suit.

"W-what power…! Is this… what defeated one of Twilight's Mecha… back when the Twilight Tower Day…? Groah…! My body…! It feels heavy and weak…!" Sidier groaned.

"This is the power of bonds! This is what defeated Umbra! And when we're interlinked by this power, we can achieve _infinite_ _power_!" "CF" Netto announced while panting.

The barrier fell down and the others rushed in while Iris made some gestures and "CF" Netto's "3rd Juuka Style" was cancelled: Trill returned to normal and stretched.

"Darkness Overload!"

"Groah!"

The blast hit Death before he'd recovered and it inflicted major damage to him: he dropped into his knees and panted as his nanomachines tried to repair the damage.

"No…! I cannot…! Grah…! No…! My grand power… there is something above it…? Damn…! "Nebula Grey"…!" Death muttered.

"It's over, Death Shadow. Give it up. You can't stand to me in your current status and my goal isn't to delete you." Forte told him.

"Death – dono! I would suggest retreat: it would be best. I do suppose you do not seek to "die" again, am I correct?" Saruba politely suggested.

"Of course not…! I am the Grim Reaper…! I shall not "die" because I am the one who brings "death"! Grah… As you suggest, Emperor S… I shall retreat and rendezvous with Obihiro…! But…! This is not over…!" Death muttered between gasps and groans of pain.

"Sidier! Return here! Your condition is critical and not even a Recovery-type Battle Chip will allow you to keep on under such conditions!" Saruba commanded.

"R-roger, Yamikawa – sama…! I shall remember this!"

He quickly detached from the machine and took two steps forward in an erratic manner: he looked about to lose balance and collapse on the ground from the effort each step brought upon.

"Uck! Gruh…! Grah… Huff, huff…! I'll be back…! And I'll bury you lowlifes!"

He panted, looked up, made a grimace and finally entered the purple portal with the grayish mass which opened behind him.

"This is not over… My mark shall not vanish! I shall bring death to all of you marked by it one day or another…! Eye! The same goes for you lowlife! I shall return!" Death muttered.

He stood up and tried to take some steps forward as he aimed his arm cannon at the "Eye" in a menacing move: he then escaped the room.

"… We… did it…" "CF" Netto muttered.

His "Cross Fusion" cancelled and he almost collapsed into the ground but Enzan held him: Netto had a large smile on his face even though he'd lost consciousness.

"No wonder… He's made a brutal effort today!" Enzan smiled.

"We did it!" Meiru exclaimed.

"Man! What a day!"

"Ya finally learned to use yer head! That robot head helped ya!" Napalm Man joked again.

"Wha~t?" Rokushadama growled.

"Oi! Tomahawk Man! I'm gonna get my tomahawk back!" Dingo announced.

"Nope."

Dingo collapsed in a weird manner while looking shocked.

"Trill! Iris! _Thank you_." Saito told them as he materialized.

"Heh, heh! Trill believed in Saito and Netto! Trill wanted to be strong and help them! Trill is trying to help everyone!" Trill told Saito.

Saito walked over to him and Trill leaned on his legs as he looked up with a smile at Saito.

"Trill will do his best! Trill promises!"

"That's splendid, Trill. I believe in you, too." Saito replied.

"Thank you, everyone, for lending us strength." Iris thanked.

"You ended the war! We'll always be grateful!" Shark Man smiled at them.

"Heh! It was worth a thrill!" Killer Man grinned.

"No evil guys will threaten our towns!" Charge Man announced.

"Hmmm! I bring justice!" Tengu Man announced.

"We tested a new type of metal!" Ground Man told Dust Man.

"It was the biggest thrill ever since the summer!" Dust Man laughed.

"Heh, heh, heh. We won!" Skull Man announced.

"We all fought together!" Wood Man added.

"I cut 'em up!" Slash Man looked at his claws.

"My flames burnt 'em to a crisp." Fire Man laughed.

"The "WWW Team" fought valiantly 'till the end!" Colored Man chuckled.

"We've proven our worth to Dr. Wily – sama!" Elec Man exclaimed.

"True." Magic Man commented.

"Yet… What are you up to, "Sauron"?" Forte questioned the "Eye".

"He's displaying another message… "I'm gonna enjoy some off-season time to finish polishing my small show. Go dance with Raoul Ou – sama 'till dawn creeps into the disco." … Man. He'll end fueling Raoul's weird manias when it comes to dancing." Enzan read before rolling his eyes.

"Some of us are underage, if that means anything to you." Meiru told him.

"…"I knew it. Then go and listen to _Unbelievable Truth_ with Count Elec and laugh. I'm off to work. You may see my ominous presence around. Farewell and drink a lot of water." … He thinks he's funny." Laika read before looking skeptical.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"


	37. Chapter 36: Towards the end

**Chapter 36: Towards the end**

20:19 PM (Japan Time), Friday December the 30th…

"… Unh… Uh… Hmmm… Curry…"

"Curry Shower!"

"Uh!"

Netto suddenly sat up on his bed and looked around: Saito was sitting on a nearby chair and laughing.

"Niisan! What happened to the battle?" Netto asked.

"We won it, otouto." Saito replied with a smile.

"Oh! I remember! I lost consciousness… I sure did a lot of exercise! What happened afterwards?"

"The "Eye" claimed he was going to come up with something, but didn't specify anything. The "Beyondard" Navis returned to their world and the "WWW Team" headed back. The refuge has been secured by the local police and so has the supercomputer. But it was true: no data was left on it except for the OS." Saito explained to him.

"Well… We managed to prove them we were serious… But I'm surprised the "Eye" was able to trigger our Full Synchro… Maybe he had a look at the backup data and found some traces of it so that's how he knew how to trigger it…" Netto looked thoughtful.

"I guess so… And I suspect he found out how to increase Forte's power by having a look at the logs from the last time he had to be healed at the Science Labs… It'd seem Freeze Man found out about the show, but he didn't seem to mind it." Saito brought a hand to his chin.

"I guess we'll get to see more of the guy in the days to come. But if I can guess, I suspect we'll have a nice New Year's. And we'll able to begin the 2nd trimester in a calm manner." Netto shrugged.

"By the way… There's a curry rice grain below the pillow." Saito told Netto while lifting his eyebrows: he had a wide smile on his face.

Netto quickly took out the pillow and looked around: he suddenly felt Saito's fingers lifting his vest and shirt around the stomach area and began to tickle Netto: he laughed and tried to shake them off.

"Ah… Niisan… I can't stop laughing! I'm very sensitive to that stuff…! Stop it already!" Netto laughed.

"Not yet. I wanna see ya laughin' till ya run out of breath." Saito told him while putting up a Kansai dialect.

"Enzan…! I'm so gonna make a mess of your hair next time you come over to 'train'!" Netto laughed.

"… Good job, Enzan."

"Thanks, Laika. We both did all we could, after all."

Enzan and Laika were shaking hands inside of the Net Police HQ while Blues and Search Man were talking amongst themselves.

"I guess this was one of the hardest battles ever. But I'm glad we ended up intact." Search Man commented with a smile.

"Yeah. I guess I'll need to have a rest for some days: I feel exhausted and worn out." Blues admitted while stretching.

"Yo!"

"Ah! Thunder Man." Both greeted.

"I heard what happened: good work, guys!" Thunder Man told them.

"Thanks, Thunder Man." Blues smiled.

"You were rooting for us, too." Search Man shrugged.

The holographic window opened and Raoul popped out while having his disguise on.

"Ahem, ahem!" He cleared his throat.

Both Enzan and Laika rolled their eyes and snapped their foreheads: they knew what was coming.

"OH YEAH! _What's up, Brother_? Shake 'em all! The party's about to start tonight! _A~nd_…! Lights! Music! DJ! Coca – Cola! Tomato and lettuce sandwiches from _Subway_! Comrades: the _party_ begins at exactly 0:00 hours! So! Put your orders forward to the DJ and get ready for a meltdown duel!" Raoul exclaimed.

"Oi, oi…" Thunder Man called out.

"And introducing Masked Thunder!" Raoul announced.

He suddenly slotted something into the Link PET and Thunder Man's disguise (the cloak) was engaged: he slapped his own face in defeat and looked defeated.

"… Time…! _Start…_! Oh yeah! _Little brother_: join the party! Tonight's prize: an invitation to the National Music Museum in Boston! Destroy 'em all in one crushing blow! Strangle! Climb! Crawl! Kick! Punch! Swing! Shake! Kneel! Crouch! Drink! Eat! Glare! Hear! Smell! Sweat! Bleed! Flip! Somersault! Terrorize! Oh yeah!" Raoul chanted in a rush.

"By all the…" Laika cursed.

"We're doomed." Enzan grimly muttered.

"Raoul!" Thunder Man yelled.

"I'm afraid he won't hear anything with such loud music. If only we could cancel it then we'd get somewhere but…" Search Man grimly muttered.

"What does it take to stop the guy?" Blues grumbled.

"Oh yeah! Crush! Lift! Drop! Descend! Fall! Roll! Rock! _Rock n' roll_! Bring out the Dynamic Duo! Close Elton John and Michael Jackson in a room to make them destroy each other! Oh yeah! Shoot! Run! Swing! Cry! Beg! Moan! Groan! Grumble! Mumble! Mutter! Whisper! Hush! Silence! Speak! Confess! Talk! Converse! Mix! DJ! Turn on the mixer! Oh yeah! Mix 'em all into an explosive cocktail: the _Raoul Cocktail_! Who needs a crispy and outdated Molotov cocktail? The new fashion is the _Raoul Cocktail_! Oh yeah! _Little brother_! Come and we'll dance 'till dawn creeps into the Wise-Men's Hall!" Raoul chanted next.

20:44 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I need it!"

"You do not."

"I need it!"

"You – do – not."

"I need it!"

"You don't!"

"I…!"

"NO!"

"Man."

"Be realistic, Dingo!"

Dingo was seemingly discussing over something with Maha: Dingo looked annoyed and so did Maha.

"If you want it, then quit this work: I won't let you destroy things or harm people: the blame then goes to me and this affects the restaurant's reputation!" Maha scolded him.

"Yeah. But if you make this good of a _curry_, then… I'd say there's not much to worry about." Meijin commented as he finished his dish.

"I'm surprised Fire Man didn't try to have revenge out there… Why?"

"Unlike Hinoken – sama… I'm not obsessed with that."

"Heh, heh, heh. It'd seem that Fire Man is getting smarter than you, Hinoken…" Wily chuckled.

"Wily – sama!" Hinoken grumbled.

"_Oh my God_! They're going to re-air it! _Good_! I can't live sans the show: it's the most original show I've ever heard!" Count Elec could be heard exclaiming from inside of the storeroom.

"Great." Elec Man rolled his eyes.

"Tee, heh, heh." Colored Man chuckled.

"I think I need to look twice at the mirror: I must be gaining weight as of late." Madoi muttered.

"Obsessions are not good for one's spirit." Magic Man warned.

"Guts?" Guts Man frowned.

"Ah! I'd forgotten! Meijin – san!" Dekao ran out of the kitchen and leant over the counter to look at Meijin.

"Not again…" Meijin grimly muttered.

Maha pulled Dekao's ears from behind and then turned him around to have him walk into the kitchen as he closed the doors.

"Ah. The rebellious neophyte… I'd forgotten." Wily chuckled.

"I don't think "neophyte" is the correct word, Father." Yuriko argued with a hint of annoyance.

"Shah, shah, shah! The crappy cook, I'd name 'im!" Needle Man chuckled.

"Please…" Dr. Regal looked annoyed.

"That is unnecessary." Laser Man mumbled.

"Heh, heh, heh." Wily merely chuckled.

"Oi! Dr. Wily! You're hiding my tomahawk, then?" Dingo questioned.

"Chut! Dingo! You can't accuse Dr. Wily – sama sans proof!" Hinoken gasped and pulled him back by the hood.

"Hinoken! Gimme my tomahawk back, will ya?" Dingo pleaded.

"No! It's a danger to society! You almost hit a Net Police officer once and you broke his car's door!" Hinoken scolded.

"I'm cursed!" Dingo yelled in frustration.

"Ya aren't…" Tomahawk Man grumbled.

20:51 PM (Japan Time)…

"… So!"

"So!"

"Go back!"

"Go back!"

"Mirror!"

"Mirror!"

"Ah – le – le!"

"Ah – le – le!"

"This one…!"

"This one…!"

"Stop it!"

"Stop it!"

"Jeez. Meiru – chan!"

"Jeez. Jasmine!"

Meiru and Jasmine were discussing in another office of the Net Police HQ while keeping their distance from each other and folding their arms.

"Run." Meiru commanded.

"Run." Jasmine copied.

"Jasmine! Don't forget what grandfather said!" Meddy whispered.

"Meiru – chan! Be rational!" Roll called out.

"Hmpf!"

"Hmpf!"

"Jeez." Both girl Navis muttered with a hint of defeatism.

20:53 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I'm gonna patent a flying whale hologram!"

"You're just gonna copy that "Narisha" thing."

"Don't kill the mood!"

"There's no mood: it's artificial."

"Hmpf!"

"Man."

"Now, now… Don't fight, you two."

Tesla was coming out with another random idea while flipping through a magazine and Airstar looked skeptical: Gauss ran in and tried to cool it down.

"Wily – sama told me obsessions are bad to the health. So, Tesla, you should be wary of them." Gauss told him.

"But Dr. Wily is already an elder on his 60s. I'm not even 30 yet." Tesla dully replied.

"Still pretending to be "forever young"…"

"Give it up, Charlie: she's impossible." Gyro Man whispered.

"Yeah. And Gauss – sama wasn't any better, either." Magnet Man muttered.

"Wha~t?" Gauss looked baffled.

"Gauss – sama had the habit of cross – dressing and he used to be a Wily maniac." Magnet Man recalled.

"Yeah. You even hired that girl from Maha Ichiban's because you wanted her to tell you about Wily." Airstar dully told him.

"Eh… Well…" Gauss looked at the ceiling.

"The Canary Islands wouldn't be bad." Tesla suggested.

20:57 PM (Japan Time)…

"… And what the heck am I supposed to do with this thing?"

"It'll make ya smarter!"

"But how?"

"Don't think: do it!"

"Huh… Maybe if I put in on my right shoulder…"

"Hah, hah, hah! Ya look like a double-headed monster!"

"Wha~t?"

Rokushadama was leaning the only intact head of one of the "Elite" robots on his right shoulder and Napalm Man laughed at the scene.

"I took a photo! Wait 'till everyone sees it: good ol' Nenji is a Martian with two heads!" Napalm Man exploded into hysterical laughter.

"Oi! Nenjiro! Don't! Ya tricked me!" He pleaded.

"Bwah, hah, hah, hah! Hilarious! Hilarious! I can't stop laughin' at it! Ya could become famous overnight!" Napalm Man kept on laughing.

"Man. That Nenjiro…"

He deposited the head on the desk and slapped his own face in defeat while Napalm Man kept on laughing.

"… Phew! We managed to put a momentary halt to them. And I turned out to be right: the snow was a sign."

Pride was looking out at the snow which had deposited on the streets: the skies had begun to blacken and lose light to give way to the evening.

"Correct, Princess: we have won the battle." Knight Man confirmed.

"Netto… It's thanks to your courage, too. You always try to help us and we want to help you back… Thank you." Pride muttered.

"Rock Man… You're a good companion. It's thanks to you, too."

21:02 PM (Japan Time)…

"… So… What do you want to do, Freeze Man?"

"Isn't it obvious, Forte? I'll keep on helping others in need: we shall fight organized crime and those "Secret Empire" grunts."

"Yeah. You're right."

Forte and Freeze Man were talking inside of the abandoned Kyutenpa Laboratory's Cyber World which was their hideout: both looked at the robot body of Gospel sitting on the armchair.

"What do I do with that?" Forte asked.

"Keep it: it may become useful." Freeze Man suggested.

"O. K. We're _partners_ from now on, right?" Forte invited.

"True. We will fight and return the favor: Rock Man did a lot while alone and I was knocked out early in the fight… I'm going to help him whenever he's in a pinch."

"Yeah. It's thanks to him that I could be "born", so… And he helped me "resurrect", too, so I'm indebted to him. He has been in hard experiences but he's managed to leave them behind. He's strong. But he has his limits, too. We must help him whenever he needs it." Forte nodded in agreement and smiled.

"By the way… We should be careful: Vader's TIE X-1 Advanced may be orbiting around us for all we know." Freeze Man joked.

"Then let's bring out an X – Wing and shoot it down." Forte joked.

"With a proton torpedo, I assume." Freeze Man lifted his eyebrows.

"Who knows?" Forte teased.

"Maybe Han Solo has the answer: his blaster's muzzle."

"Yeah. _Greedo a la Solo Laser_." Forte improvised.

"You could patent it." Freeze Man suggested.

"Patent it? Well. Why not? Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

Forte looked behind him to see a newcomer.

This newcomer was a character wearing purple clothes, a cap and a cape while having pallid white skin and red eye irises: he didn't appeal to being even a meter and fifty tall.

"Who's that?"

"I don't know."

"Sorcerer Gufuu of the Piccol Tribe, gentlemen." He announced while making a reverence.

"Sorcerer Gufuu?" Both wondered.

"Searching for the "Force"…"

"But don't all beings have it in some dose or another?" Forte argued.

"… So as to evolve into the Demon God."

"W-what!" They gasped.

"Now, gentlemen… Would you be as kind as to guide me?"

"Huh… Dunno… Try a GPS." Forte looked puzzled.

"Hum. You give off a weird vibe." Freeze Man looked mistrusting.

"My master, Sigaano Nogaano sends his most honorable greetings: thou power is great and supreme, sires." He added in an old-fashioned style.

"Wait, you work for the "Eye" and he's named Sigaano Nogaano? What's the guy, a Brazilian?" Forte asked.

"Ah. I see that Master Ezlo's come. I shall take my leave while he bestows the Wishing Hat to fulfill all desires. Farewell, Your Graces."

They turned around but there was no one.

"He ditched us! But who the heck was that guy? A pawn?"


	38. Chapter 37: Finale

**Chapter 37: Finale**

21:31 PM (Japan Time), Friday December the 30th…

"… Man. What a blow."

"Shun – sama. Are you alright?"

"Well…"

Obihiro was sitting on a sofa place inside of what had the looks of an underground living room and Hunter Man was standing behind him: Obihiro looked tired and down.

"Physically, I'm O.K. Morally… I'm not so sure. I mean… I could stand my ground for a while, but… The guy was too much. And then all those guys came and everything became chaos." Obihiro muttered.

"But it is not Shun – sama's fault: the "Eye" is the true culprit." Hunter Man told him.

"I knew that! But even so… How's Death?"

"He's recovering. Sidier is also undergoing recovery at the Dark Realm as well. They'll be back in shape in less than 24 hours." Hunter Man reported with a hint of defeatism on his voice.

"Man. I know our research is intact and so, but… It'll take time to recover from this blow."

"Don't be so defeatist, Obihiro." A voice rang out.

Saruba's hologram walked in and he stood in front of Obihiro: he gasped and looked up.

"Emperor S – sama!" Both he and Hunter Man saluted.

"Look, look… I'm not your boss. I'm a _business partner_. You can call me by my surname." Saruba told them.

"Eh… Yamikawa – sama would be fine?" Obihiro asked.

"Yeah. Look: I knew this would end one day."

"Ah…"

"But you mustn't be depressed, Obihiro. We'll wait, recover, and we'll then grow strong enough to strike back with renewed tactics." Saruba told him.

"Ah… Roger."

"Try to come up with something: maybe spreading some of the combat data would do fine: we can prove the robots were effective even against the "Net Saviors". This will attract customers. But impose one condition to the buying: they are not to be use to rule over others. They can only be used in warfare areas. It'd be better if you let PMCs use them: they never seek control over others."

"That could work, sir." Hunter Man commented.

"It'll work: trust me. I haven't been monitoring the outside world during 10 years in vain." Saruba replied with a smile.

"Yes, sir… I'll get working on it as soon as Death's repairs are completed and he's able to move. How is Sidier like?" Obihiro confirmed before asking Saruba.

"He's somewhat down but Solo is managing to get him to be more responsive. Somari – chan is trying to come up with some pun to lighten his mood. Maybe he'll need to go train some days and his mood will quickly change." Saruba admitted.

"I understand… Please leave it to me." Obihiro replied.

"We'll do our best, sir…" Hunter Man saluted.

"Good. Oh. By the way… Beware of the _Sarlacc_: it's hunting for Boba Feet's bitter taste. Heh, heh, heh." Saruba joked.

"I guess Yamikawa – sama is not a person who gets depressed easily… We better take his advice seriously and get to work. I won't be laughed at for being soft." Obihiro muttered before making a smug smile.

"Heh, heh, heh. That is the typical mood of Shun – sama."

21:38 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Come on, Sidier… That form of yours wasn't "invincible": no – one is, and not even Saruba! Saito managed to best him, even, so…"

"I know that, Solo, but…"

Solo was speaking with Sidier: he was sitting next to him in his room's bed and passing the right arm around Sidier's shoulders: the guy looked frustrated and angry while Solo was trying to comfort him.

"But if that bothersome and repulsive "Eye" hadn't gotten in the way, then I'd been able to triumph!" Sidier growled.

"You can't account for _everything_. And it was obvious that the guy would get on the way. Why don't you lift up your mood? Maybe you could go and visit the three Temples to see your _disciples_' progress." Solo suggested to him.

"Oh! My disciples… Eh… True. I'd forgotten about them, even! What a shameful thing… It'll look like I don't care for them! I really should check on them." Sidier looked up and slapped his forehead.

"But before that…" Solo grinned.

He suddenly pulled Sidier into the bed and loomed over him while grinning: Sidier looked disconcerted at his behavior.

"You need something to relax and I happen to know the way. Wanna try making out with me?" Solo told him.

"E~H? No… That'd be abusing of your patience, Solo! I wouldn't want to bother you with my trivialities, really…" Sidier looked nervous.

"What I'm saying the whole time? I'm not a noble! I'm a normal guy just like ya or Saruba. We've done it from time to time. And we sometimes get played upon by Somari – chan but relax… She's not a sadist: she simply plays the commanding girl." Solo told him.

"I never wanted to intrude your privacy, really! Please leave: I'm bothering you and you surely have better things to do!"

"You're not "intruding": we're inviting you! After all… We're all in the same ship of fools!" Solo grinned.

"… So! Saruba… You managed to lift up Obihiro's mood?"

"Yeah. I guess he'll come up with a bright idea along with Death – dono once his repairs finish."

Saruba was talking with Somari: she'd opened the cloak to reveal that she wore jeans, reddish socks, white sneakers and a brown wool jumper with some patterns drawn there.

She also had fingerless black gloves on her hands.

"Good. By the way… I believe Solo is going to discover a new playmate by now." Somari grinned.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I'm sure Sidier will find out that it helps to relax from time to time." Saruba shrugged.

"Yet… You never asked to do it with me…"

"Oi, oi. I respect your privacies as a girl, Somari – chan. And I'd never want to break them. Haven't we made a pact to not do that with you ten years ago? You come see us from time to time, but we don't mind it because you don't object to it." Saruba gulped.

"Don't worry: I was teasing ya. No. The pact we all made is good enough and I plan on keeping it up. And I sometimes get some little funds by recording you guys and then posting it elsewhere."

"I won't object to that, either." Saruba quickly told her.

"Tee, heh, heh. Good. True, true… Are we going to keep on sabotaging activities of S&M grunts? I mean the types which force teens into it to turn them into merchandise… I don't mind those which are adult models who like the stuff." Somari brought up.

"Yeah. I already tipped off some grunts in Las Vegas: the police must be rounding them up by now. They pick those reckless teens which come to play there and end up in a pinch." Saruba turned serious.

"Good. What happened to Hikari was disgusting enough. We must make sure it doesn't happen again: the guy doesn't deserve that. And let's admit Sidier and Death were being dramatic: we never intended to kill anyone from the beginning." Somari told him.

"Of course not… It just adds some dramatic mood to the thing… And how could I avoid Death – dono talking about "death" when he's the kind of gentleman he is?" Saruba admitted.

"I know, I know… Just tell him to keep himself in check. If he wants to kill berserk Navis or Viruses, then he can do that. But we're not murderers, for God's sake. We _did_ kill _that man _but we acted out of self-defense and rage: he wanted to kill us!" Somari sighed and turned serious as well while looking somewhat annoyed.

"Could we please not bring the topic up, Somari – chan?" Saruba requested.

"Sure. Anyway… There's gonna be a pause before we jump into the stage again. I'm off to talking with Sidier's girl disciple at the Death Temple: she tends to get into chatter with Ophiucus Queen DS. Tee, heh, heh. I'll teach her about the latest trend out there." Somari giggled.

"Go ahead…" Saruba gulped.

Somari giggled and then exited the room while Saruba sighed in relief and then brought up a holographic screen: it displayed Rokushadama and the robot head on his right shoulder.

"Really… That Napalm Man guy can come up with very interesting jokes from time to time! Nenji – san can be a nice fellow but he's somewhat absent-minded from time to time. Heh, heh, heh. I'm sure he'll become famous as the "Two-Headed Man"." Saruba chuckled.

He switched screens and examined the interior of the abandoned WWW base: "Sorcerer Gufuu" was standing in front of the computer which had been Forte's living spot.

"Gufuu from _The Legend of Zelda: The Mysterious Hat_?" He wondered with some surprise.

He looked as to how it was a hologram and the computer was running some processes.

"Hmpf. Plot all you want, "Sauron", "Gufuu"… Or whatever you lowlife's damned name is. I'll find out who you are and destroy you! Stick out your neck!" Saruba challenged.

"… Ah… Ah…! It feels… Solo… Please… Faster…!"

"Heh, heh. I guess you're somewhat masochist, Sidier. It's fun to see, ya know?"

Solo was making out with Sidier: Sidier was standing on his four while on his bed and gripping the covers while Solo was sitting on his knees and pumping into Sidier's insides with his cock as he held him by the waist and grinned: Sidier looked ecstatic on the other hand.

"Heh, heh, heh. Here it comes, Sidier: my subtle hand." Solo whispered to him.

He gripped Sidier's balls for a moment with his right hand before starting to rub his cock: Sidier's moans turned louder.

"Yeah! Your moans are lovely!"

Solo grinned and began increasing the pace until Sidier cried as his cock went off and stained his face and mouth: two drops fell inside.

"Heh, heh!"

His inner muscles closed around Solo's cock and Solo released inside of him: he then sat on the bed and pulled Sidier towards him so that he was sitting on his lap while facing forward: he looked overwhelmed.

"Heh, heh. Wakey, wakey, Sidier – _chan_. Here comes my wake-up medicine~!" Solo teased.

He rubbed his fingers around Sidier's nipples and softly pulled them to excite Sidier: he snapped out of his state and looked like he was getting excited again.

"Here I come." Solo told him.

He began to thrust and move Sidier up and down along his cock's vertical length as he rubbed Sidier's nipples.

"Oh…! Ah…! Huh…! O~h…!"

Sidier moaned while his cock got hard again and Solo used his right hand's fingers to grip it: he lowered the foreskin and began to play with the head: Sidier looked in total ecstasy by now given the volume of his moans and his closed eyes.

"Get ready." Solo warned.

Sidier's cock went off for the second time and it stained his upper torso and face: Solo picked some of it with his fingers and licked them in a slow and deliberate manner.

"Hmmm… Not bad. You have some taste. You're sweet, even, instead of spicy." Solo told him.

"Ah… Ah… Huff… Huff…" Sidier panted from the effort.

"I guess you're the kind of type who wants his _aibou_ to play with his little insides the whole time… I like that mood of yours. Here: look at your dull ceiling."

He assumed a face-up position while having Sidier on top of him and his cock still inside of him: he began to move again and he used his coated fingers to softly rub Sidier's nipples in a slow and precise manner: Sidier kept on moaning while Solo looked animated.

_Man. I was right: Sidier doesn't want to take initiatives because he must think he'd be rude to me, so he lets me be in charge. Heh, heh. Maybe I'll take advantage of it to toy with him._

Solo rubbed the head of Sidier's cock with his fingers and Sidier gasps and groans grew louder yet again.

"Here I come!"

Solo then gripped his balls in a hard manner to cause him to go off for the third time: Solo also released and looked in a good mood.

"Okay. Sidier. Have a preview of my taste. Maybe you'll find me bitter even. Heh, heh, heh." Solo told him.

"Y-yes, sir… By your orders…" Sidier muttered.

"No "sir": just call me Solo." Solo rolled his eyes.

"S-sorry… Yeah…"

He detached from Solo's cock and then approached his face to it: he began smelling it and touching it with his fingers before taking it into his mouth and softly pulling the foreskin back: he closed his eyes and seemed to be acting out of instinct.

"Good, Sidier, good… Just don't use the fingers: the merit is doing it with your tongue." Solo instructed him.

Sidier nodded in understanding and began to take the cock in until he reached the base: he then began to slowly lick it while moving upwards and then rubbed the head of the cock.

"Not bad. I'll increase the pace." Solo told him.

He placed both hands behind Sidier's head and had him move up and down at an increased pace: Solo looked animated while Sidier was following the pace set by Solo.

"Hey. Sidier. Here it comes." Solo calmly announced.

He released inside of Sidier's mouth: he choked and spit some of it out of instinct.

"Here."

Solo then picked his arms and made him crawl closer: he made contact with Sidier's lips as he pulled towards him by closing his arms around his neck.

"Huh!"

Sidier opened his eyes wide in surprise but did not move from his pose: he slowly closed his eyes and seemed to be retuning the kiss to Solo.

"Heh, heh, heh. The _white string of Fate_ showed up. Isn't the name a total irony, Sidier – _chan_? I guess Irony Man showed up." Solo joked while looking amused when they broke up.

"Huh… Guess so…" Sidier blushed.

"What… It wouldn't be complete without a kiss, you know! Come 'ere and let's rub each other." Solo told him.

He closed his arms around his back and pulled him closer: Sidier was about seven or eight centimeters shorter than Solo.

_Heh, heh, heh. No wonder._

They began to rub their cocks together while sharing another kiss: they went off and stained each other's faces and upper torsos.

"Let's clean this and go for the third kiss." Solo grinned.

"Uh… Yeah… Let's go…" Sidier slowly replied.

"You're the timid guy when it comes to new stuff, huh? Don't worry: you'll soon get used to it."

They licked the liquid off their bodies and shared the third kiss before they broke apart: Solo grinned and closed his arms around Sidier's waist to keep him glued to his body: he picked Sidier's cock and made it enter his insides to Sidier's surprise.

"Heh. Try testing me out." Solo challenged.

"… How's your body like, Death?"

"I feel somewhat better. But it will still take some time to recover, I do believe."

Hunter Man was speaking with Death inside of the laptop as the nanomachines worked in fixing up his wounds.

"But I am sure I shall come up with something: we have the combat data and the schematics. We could always auction them and see if a war over them starts: the one party standing at the end shall be granted them."

"Heh, heh, heh. Splendid." Hunter Man chuckled.

"Yeah. This is just an interlude. The new season will soon start and we'll start using proxies to handle things." Obihiro grinned.

"… Huff… Huff… I'm sorry, Solo… I spilled inside…"

"What… You needn't be sorry! It's natural!"

Sidier was panting after he'd released into Solo's insides and looked ashamed of it while Solo grinned.

"Let's keep the party on!" Solo grinned.

He pulled the covers over them and some moans rang out while they kept on making out.

"Ah. And this ain't over." Solo announced.

"Y-yeah…! This ain't over… yet… O~h!" Sidier let out a sigh of pleasure.

Somari was standing near the door and had seemingly been hearing into their making out for a while: she looked amused.

"Yeah. This ain't over 'till I say so." She muttered.

"… Hmpf. Can that guy really not see me or it's pretending there's no – one in there?"

Saruba was still keeping an eye on what "Gufuu" was doing: he suddenly looked around but didn't seem to spot whatever was spying him so he resumed working with the computer: it flashed and a small chuckle rang out while echoing inside of the deserted base.

"Success. I'm a genius, _aibou_. Ah. But ya showed me the ropes: I won't deny the fact. My subtleness has great extent when I want to. And I'm sure the "Net Savior" will be glad to be dealing with a tougher guy like me… Ah. But we'll firstly have to see if Ijuuin and Laika haven't gone crazy from Raoul Ou – sama's crazy disco dances. Heh, heh. I say yo and behold! My magic villain style disappearance has been triggered! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…!" "Gufuu" muttered aloud while sounding rather amused.

"Hmpf. He's gone. Hah. You won't be using that place again: I can deduce it. And by the time I can check what you were doing there, you'll have erased all registers. I don't care. This isn't over." Saruba muttered with a hint of amusement to his voice.

He stepped down from the throne and then entered the corridor: Somari wasn't there anymore.

"Well!"

He walked towards his room and entered inside of it while closing the door behind him.

"Let's lock it just in case."

He headed towards his e-book library and picked a book: _Dark Lord: the Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno: the must-read sequel to Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith._

"Heh, heh, heh. Let's keep on… Eh… Here: this is where I left off last time around. Yeah… Hum! He's chasing those Jedi exiles' trail as they try to access the Jedi Temple's database from somewhere…" He muttered as he switched pages.

He picked the chair, ignited the light, and began to calmly read the e-book while looking absorbed.

"…"Gufuu"… Why don't you go and try to pit your power against that of Lord Vader? I'm sure you'd end up destroying each other in a titanic clash… This ain't over: it's the start of _Season 2_! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"… Ah… The curry was delicious! Now I feel ready for a good night's sleep and for tomorrow: the last day of the year!"

"Yeah. We'll be looking forward with eagerness to the year 2007: it may bring some surprises with it!"

Netto (who'd changed into his pajamas and taken out the bandana) was speaking with Saito before going to sleep: both were looking out at the snow-covered streets.

"By the way… I got a mail from Shadow Man: Miyabi and he will be taking care of security tonight. They've found a place to stay. Miyabi seems to be getting fed up with Shadow Man's persistence regarding the _Naraku_."

"Heh, heh! They should call him Hell Man instead. But since we already have Hell's Burner, Hell's Buster and Hell's Rolling… Then it wouldn't make much sense." Netto improvised a joke.

"Maybe they should've named him _Ninja_ Man but then it'd be a reciprocal thing to do. Guts Man should be named Gorilla Man: everyone agrees on that case. And Dekao really could pass as a neophyte."

"Neophyte Ooyama: ready to criticize everything! He should be a food critic instead of a cook." Netto laughed.

"Ah… Dekao won't change. Anyway… Let's hope for a good start to the year 2007 starting two days from now. It'll be an exciting year and I'm sure your 2nd trimester will go fine." Saito switched topics.

"What should we do about the Cut Man Brothers?"

"Oh. Those guys? Let them be: they'll be unable to come up with anything smart anytime soon. By the way! Did you see Raoul – san's video?"

"Totally crazy. I wish Thunder Man could materialize and somehow straighten him out. I prefer his serious self."

"Who wouldn't? Raoul the Thunder would do for a cool title."

"Raoul the Thunder! Hah, hah, hah! _Nice_! Niisan!"

"Anyway… It's getting late and we're beaten so… Let's go sleep!"

"Sure!"

Both climbed into the bed (Saito taking the right side) and pulled the covers over them until to the necks.

"Good night!"

Both soon fell asleep while the snow continued on falling.

**THE END**


End file.
